Before I'm Dead
by L'ange-Sans-Ailes
Summary: The Brotherhood is dealing with tragedy and loss. Can they ban together or will a new threat kick them while they're down? Sequel to Glycerine.
1. Da Ragin' Cajun

**A/N:** Well here's number five. If you're this deep into the story, you probably really dig it, and you're the fans I write for, so hope you guys likes it. Enjoy.

It has been one month since last we saw our heroes. One month since Jean gave birth to the two tiniest members of the Brotherhood. One month since the ill-fated accident that preserved the life of the Brotherhood. And for an entire month the Brotherhood has been absent one arrogant speedster.

-A café in Bayville-

St. John Allerdyce walked out of the café Amara following closely behind, their hands intertwined lovingly.

Amara stopped which caused St. John to halt abruptly and stare at the woman he loved, "What's wrong love?"

Amara stared into his eyes, "Are you sure we should be doing this? I've never skipped school before."

St. John's eyes softened, "Oih just need some toihme 'Mara. You're the only one oih can turn to now. Oih've lost too many mates."

Amara gave him a sympathetic smile, "Where should we go next?"

St. John smiled, and turned around to walk, "Oih don't," he was quickly cut off as a Bo made contact with his jaw at a high velocity. He rubbed his busted lip and looked up, "Son of a bitch!" his eyes went wide in horror, "Remy?"

There stood Remy Etienne LeBeau, all six foot one, one hundred and seventy nine pounds of him. He wore sunglasses and his old acolytes uniform. He let the glasses slip down his nose exposing his red on black eyes thus confirming that the Cajun had indeed risen from the grave. He smirked at his former comrade, "Dat's a cold thing to say to a comrade."

St. John rushed to his feet two lighters in either hand, "You can't be you! There ain't no comin' back from that! Oih saw you doihe! You doihed in moih arms!"

Remy chuckled and reached into a pocket in his trench coat, "Pick a card Mon ami. For old times sake." He tossed three cards just as St. John threw up a flame shield. Remy smirked, "Living wid dem losers kept you sharp."

St. John glared at the Cajun, "How'd you survoihve?"

Remy stood up straight, "Lance's femme's sister is very powerful. Da Juggernaut wasn't even in da country at da time."

St. John looked surprised, "Whoih!"

Remy reached into his coat again, "Never mind homme, let your old friend Remy show you a card trick!"

He threw more cards and St. John threw up another flame shield, "Not gonna happen mate."

Remy smirked as he dropped the shield, "I said it was a trick," St. John looked down to see three glowing cards on the ground, "Slight of hand," as the cards exploded St. John was thrown back, but Remy quickly closed the gap and disarmed him of his lighters.

St. John slowly got to his feet, "That's not gonna help you."

Remy smirked, "You got no power if you got no flame."

St. John smirked, "Wrong," Remy's eyes grew wide as he finally noticed who he was with, "'Mara, Little help?"

Her fists lit up with two fireballs, "Sure." She tossed them and he caught them effortlessly.

Remy clapped his hands, "You fell for a human lighter, but I got one final hand to play," he charged his Bo with the familiar purple kinetic energy and leapt into the air. Before St. John could even mount a defense Remy slammed it into the ground causing it to explode and St. John and Amara to be thrown into the building wall. Police sirens could finally be heard closing in, "Take care Johnny, I'll be back for you mon ami."

Remy ducked into a dark alley as the police showed up and brandished their weapons, "Freeze! Drop the fire and put your hands above your head!" the veteran officer called out. St. John pushed Amara into a building, hoping they hadn't seen her. With a flick of the wrist the flames were extinguished and he dropped to his knees, "You have the right to remain silent."

Amara could only watch as they carted her boyfriend away, "He saved me."

-Bayville High-

Lance stomped down the hall, tremors threatening to ravage the foundation. He finally stopped and leaned against a locker. He took several deep breaths, attempting to calm his nerves. Unbeknownst to the rock tumbler he was slowly being encircled.

"Hey! Are you Alvers?" Lance opened his eyes and saw a blonde boy that could be a dead ringer for Duncan Mathews.

Lance then looked around to see his football buddies behind him, "Must be tough to live in a world where not everyone has their name stitched on their jacket," he looked at the jacket, "Dennis."

Dennis smirked at him, "You stole my brother's car."

Lance nodded, "So you're a Mathews. Ugly must run in the family."

Dennis glared at Lance, "I think it's time for some payback."

"Payback? You hear that Freddy? He wants a little payback," Todd quickly made his way to Lance's side.

Freddy muscled through the crowd, "Oh I heard him Todd, and it's a good thing, that payback is our specialty."

Dennis looked at the two boys and could almost see the anger emanating off of them, "Hey this is between me and him."

Freddy and Todd stepped forward, "Yeah well now we're between you and him."

-An hour or so later in the Boarding House living room-

Raven paced in the living room, a righteous anger flowing through her blue body. She turned to the couch and paused, casting a disapproving glare on the inhabitants. Lance, Todd, and Freddy sat on the couch each one seething in anger.

Raven rubbed her temple in order to stifle a headache, "You beat up the entire starting line of the Varsity Football Team," she took a breath, "You got suspended for three days!" with each word her voice grew louder, "I miss him too but you can't go around fighting baselines!" she turned to Wanda sitting in the armchair in the corner with Regan, "And where were you during all of this?"

Wanda had been more remorseful than her comrades, "I was outside on the steps waiting for them."

Raven turned back to the boys, "Where the hell is Fruit-loop!" As if on cue the phone rang and Raven grabbed it off the end table, "What!" she paused, "Where is he?" her eyes went wide, "What did he do!" her eyes then turned into tiny slits, "He did what!" she slammed the phone down, "Numb-nuts go to the police station and pick up Fruit-loop!"

Without saying a word Lance got to his feet and walked out the front door, but little did he know his wife was right behind him.

-A few seconds later in the Brotherhood Driveway-

"Lance." She called out to him but he wouldn't turn around, "Lance! You've been angry since the accident!"

Lance stopped a few feet from the garage door; his fists clenched tightly, "I coulda buried it! He didn't have to be so stupid." The last part was said more to himself than to her.

Regan quickly closed the gap and stood in front of him, "You're not angry because Pietro saved us," she placed her hands on his chest, "You're angry because no one could save him in return."

Lance sighed, "I gotta go pick up Johnny." She nodded and gave him a peck on the cheek. She walked back to the house and Lance just watched her until she was out of view. He turned around and opened the garage door, to fetch his car so he could rescue his brother, "Never again."

-Several minutes later at the Police Station-

Lance walked behind an officer down to the holding cells. They paused in front of the largest one. Lance stared in confusion as the inmates were all gathered towards the four barred walls. But then it all became very clear St. John sat in the middle of the room, legs crossed Indian style, his posture slumped forward slightly.

"I want to talk to him for a couple of minutes," The officer opened the door allowing entrance to Lance and quickly closed and locked the door as soon as he was in.

"You got two minutes," the officer called out behind him. The inmates all shot him dirty looks.

Lance walked to the middle of the room and picked up St. John by the front of his shirt, "What the hell is your problem!" this immediately struck fear in the hearts of the other inmates and they tried to pretend not to see anything, "Getting arrested! You know damn well they know who we are! What we are!" he shook him slightly, "Give me one reason! And it better be a damn good one!"

During the entire ordeal St. John never looked Lance in the eyes, until now, "Remy's not dead mate."

Lance's anger shifted into shock, "What?"

Lance set him down on his feet, "The bushwhacker faked his death. He jumped me and 'Mara." He paused his face softening, "Is she alroihght?"

Lance sighed, "Come on. I'll take you to go see her."

St. John smiled, "Thanks mate, oih owe you one."

-Later that night in Pietro's bedroom-

The window was open and the drapes swayed eerily in the wind.

"My heir," Erik stood tall over his son's bed. He was dressed in his full armor, "My son," he paused and starred at the bed, "You and I aren't as different as you'd like to think. We both know what it means to survive, to care about someone so deeply that you would give up your life for them."

The doorknob began turning, and in the time it took to open the door Erik had already made his escape.

Freddy walked into the room a sandwich and a bag of chips on a plate in his hand. He sat down in the chair across from the bed. He looked down at his comrade. Pietro lay there motionless, an I.V. drip in his right arm. He was now breathing on his own, and the Brotherhood was thankful for that. Apparently Sinister underestimated the speed demon, he didn't take into account his dense skin and bones, or his healing ability but it was still a victory because Pietro hasn't woken up since the accident. Of course no one outside of Pietro knows who he is… yet.

Freddy took a bite of his sandwich, and then peeked an eyebrow, "I thought I closed the window."


	2. Sinister Intent

-The next morning in Pietro's room-

Wanda sat in a chair across the room from her brother. It had become a small ritual for her; she'd wake up call the mansion to check on Jean and her children, and then stare at her brother until it was time to go to school. Once in a while she'd share words with him, she'd tell him about her day, how her twins are doing, or what the Brotherhood blew up that day, but mostly she would just sit there and stare at him, thinking about how he sacrificed himself for his friends and family.

Wanda got up and walked towards the door. She paused before leaving; she looked back at her brother one last time, "See you tomorrow Pietro."

-A few minutes later in the backyard-

Lance and Todd were hard at work stripping the Nova they won off of Duncan.

Lance removed the blower and placed it on the workbench, "And when we walked into the mansion Wolverine practically tackles Johnny so he had to explain everything."

Todd nodded in conformation, "And you know when he gets scared his accent gets thicker."

Wanda came up behind them, "Like when we had to explain that there's not a goblin that laughs at him living under his bed."

Lance smiled, "The guy lives in the attic, it's noisy up there."

Wanda peeked an eyebrow at Lance, "Remember when you brought him home?"

Lance laughed, "Yeah he tried to make us waffles and blew up the toaster."

Todd lifted his shirt, "Yeah I still got the scar from that yo," he let his shirt fall, "Where is he anyways?"

"Upstairs," Wanda then studied her 'peers' for a moment, "I thought you guys were in trouble."

Lance started cleaning off his hands, "We were and Mystique told us to think about what we did wrong, but we forgot what it was, so we're working on the Nova."

Wanda rolled her eyes, "And where's Freddy?"

Todd smiled, "He got stuck on grocery duty."

Wanda peeked an eyebrow in confusion, "Why did Raven give him that job?"

Lance started counting on his fingers, "John's irresponsible, Todd smells…"

Todd's head darted up, "Hey! It's not my fault," he crossed his arms, "I'm a toad."

Wanda continued for him, "You fight, I don't follow orders. Face it Freddy is the lesser of several evils."

Lance stared at Wanda, "I'm not evil," he paused, "I'm just misunderstood."

Todd nodded, "And evil."

There was a loud crash and suddenly St. John was running out of the backdoor, then the window on the second story opened, and Regan popped out wearing the shower curtain, "I don't care if you had to pee or not! You can do it in the neighbor's bushes like Todd!" she then threw the towel rack at him.

He narrowly missed being impaled by Raven's company towels, "Ready for school Sheila?"

Wanda rolled her eyes, "You guys get suspended, and I get punished."

St. John put an arm over her shoulder, "Relax Sheila, oih'll by you an oihce-cream at lunch."

Wanda hexed the Aussie, "You're all paying for this one."

Lance merely peeked an eyebrow as he watched the other two Brotherhood members walk off, "I'm gonna go get some gas, you want anything?" Todd only shook his head as he crouched on the fender and stripped some hoses.

-The grocery store parking lot-

Freddy walked out of the grocery store checking over the list to make sure he hadn't forgotten anything. After making sure everything was accounted for, he stuffed the list into his overall pocket and continued to push the cart down to the sidewalk.

Although he would probably never admit it, Freddy liked it when he was given responsibilities; it made him feel important and needed, like a valued member of the team.

All was going well, maybe too well for a member of the infamous Brotherhood. And true to Brotherhood luck there was a well-built man standing in his way wearing a tight black sleeveless shirt, and black pants. He had something on his back but Freddy couldn't identify it.

Freddy peeked an eyebrow at the man, "Can you move?"

The man smirked, "Don't think I can boy," he then reached for his back and pulled out one, of several, harpoons, "Name's Kodiak, but you can call me Harpoon, and I don't like your face."

Naturally Freddy took offense to this, but he remained somewhat calm, "Guess you don't know who I am. I'm the…"

Kodiak cut him off, "The Blob, vast superhuman durability, coupled with superhuman strength and a personal gravitational field, should make you a tough opponent."

The harpoon started to crack with energy, "Huh?" and just as Freddy finished his sentence the harpoon darted from his hand and into Freddy's chest.

Kodiak smirked, "I can't believe they told me to be careful with you," he shook his head, "You went down faster than a wounded seal."

Freddy tried to get to his feet, but he was soon struck down by another electric harpoon, "I… am… the…" he passed out before he could finish his sentence.

Kodiak shook his head, "Victim."

-Several minutes later at the local gas station-

Lance walked out of the gas station and noticed a woman sitting on the hood of his prized Challenger. He walked over to the woman and cleared his throat.

She wore tight leather pants and a white muscle shirt; all of her hair was thrown to the side, some of it covering her left eye. She looked up and smiled at Lance, "Hey sexy, nice car."

Lance's cheeks flushed, "Umm… thanks. Think you could move?"

She fell back onto her elbows and uncrossed her legs, "Make me," she smirked, and the ground began to shake a little.

Lance was caught off guard but then glared at the woman, "Who are you? How did you do that?"

She licked her lips, "My friends call me Arclight, but you can call me Phillipa, Lover," Lance's anger was beginning to boil, and the ground shook, "No, no, don't want to rupture a gas line do you?"

Lance calmed himself with a few deep breathes, "What. Do. You. Want?"

Phillipa smiled seductively, then hoped off the car, "Help! Help! That mutant is trying to assault me!"

Lance's eyes shot open and he saw a few people rushing towards him, "Shit," he hoped through the window of his car, turned it on, and peeled off down the street.

She watched as he left, "See ya around, Lover."

-Meanwhile back at the Boarding House-

Todd sat crouched on the workbench drinking from a water bottle when a strange man walked onto the property.

He smiled at Todd, "Hi my name is Janos, and I was just wondering if I could use your phone. You see my car broke down in front of your house and I rang the door bell but no one answered."

Todd examined the man. He had long white hair, and he wore a leather trench coat with fingerless gloves, "Sure," he turned around to grab the phone but was quickly thrown into the yard, "What the hell yo?"

Janos smirked and then threw off his coat to reveal a skintight uniform and several sheathes holding spikes and throwing stars. He pulled a spike from its sheath and starred at Todd, "I wonder…" he trailed off for a moment now starring at his spike, "If I dissect you, would it be like dissecting a regular frog?" Todd did a back flip and looked at the spot he had been standing in with wide eyes. It was now littered with spikes and throwing stars, "Awe shucks I missed," he smirked.

Todd swallowed a hard lump in his throat, "Bad day to be the Toad," Todd kept both eyes fixed on the man waiting for any sign of an oncoming attack.

Todd was rendered speechless as he began to spin, faster and faster until he was just a blur. Spikes and throwing stars were being flung at the amphibian; every now and then one would graze his skin. He was obviously playing with Todd; he could kill him at any time.

Todd did everything he could to avoid being attacked, back-flips, front-flips, leaping off the walls, crouching and sidestepping. Janos was beginning to lose his patience. Todd was fast, very fast. Quick with a small frame and flexible body, if he focused he could dodge every projectile. But as we all know a member of the Brotherhood can't catch a break.

Todd was so focused on his adversary he neglected to watch his step on the garden hose. Now he lay in a heap tangled in the green serpent used to water the dirt.

Janos smiled and impaled his hand with a spike, "You're fast kid," he then impaled his left foot, "But not anymore."

Just when he thought he was done in he heard the sound of metal shattering. He looked up to the second story window to see Raven wearing a teddy, reloading her silencer-equipped rifle a cigarette hanging carelessly from her mouth, "I don't miss twice."

Janos sighed and took a bow before taking his leave.

-A few hours later in the living room-

Lance sat in his armchair while N'Kantu helped Todd to the couch. Freddy came down the stairs, his charred shirt slung over his shoulder. He sat down next to his wounded comrade on the couch. Raven looked over her team; each one on a level of pissed she had seen on only a few rare occasions.

She crossed her arms, "Gambit has a new team, and they are targeting the main members of the Brotherhood."

Lance growled, "But who's leading them? Gambit's not exactly leadership material."

She nodded in agreement, "Some one faked his death for a reason, but that still doesn't explain who."

Suddenly the front door was kicked open and the occupants of the house were now starring at a beaten Regan. Blood trickled from her lip and her eye was beginning to blacken. She was beyond pissed, "Sinister."


	3. Doubt

-Later that night in Pietro's room-

The room was perfectly illuminated. Pietro's bedroom window was in the perfect position to take full advantage from the light of the moon. On the night of the accident there was no moon, the only light came from a couple of life support machines. After a few days and several hexes, the Brotherhood decided to 'pull' the plug. As they watched Pietro slip away, something miraculous happened, he took a breath.

After that day, the esteemed members of the Brotherhood agreed to take shifts sitting with the resident speedster. Regan had read a chapter in one of her, what St. John claimed to be, 'voodoo' books, that stated spending time and talking to people in a coma could be beneficial to them. So there sat Lance leaning forward, with his elbows on his knees.

Lance sighed, this was the only time he could truly show his grief; "I know you know who's doing this. I don't know how I know, but I know whoever is doing this put you in this situation too," tears were threatening to escape, "Pietro… wake up and tell me who to hit. I can't deal with this emotional crap, just wake up point and I'll break his legs."

He paused as if actually waiting for an answer, but all Pietro did was take a breath.

Lance sighed, "Regan said that her sister attacked her again," Pietro exhaled, "She said that she was working for some guy named Sinister…" he paused, "Is that him? Is that who faked Gambit's death, and sent his goons out to torture and embarrass us? Is that who I have to hit?" his fists were clenched tight, and his muscles were stiff with rage.

A knock came at the door but Lance didn't get up. The door opened and in walked a woman he had never seen before. She had shoulder length brown hair and she was a bit shorter than Wanda, but just as curvaceous. She wore reading glasses and a doctor's coat.

Lance immediately shot up and took a defensive position in front of his fallen comrade, "I don't know how you got past the rest of the Brotherhood, but you're not getting past me."

Lance's facial features shifted into shock, as Charles wheeled himself into the room. He smirked, "Lance, this is the Night Nurse. She's here to treat Pietro."

'His' eyes flashed yellow and Lance stepped aside, "What kinda name is the Night Nurse for a doctor?"

The Night Nurse looked him up and down, "What kind of name is Avalanche for a fully grown man?"

Lance clenched his fists and turned to 'Charles,' "Where'd you find this quack? Did she even graduate from a real college? Or did she find her degree at the bottom of a cereal box?"

The Night Nurse snapped some gloves on, "Oh I just adore it when future patients question my credentials."

Lance glared at the woman, "Future patients?"

The Night Nurse took Pietro's pulse, "Given your line of work, you definitely qualify as a future patient."

Lance peeked an eyebrow, "My line of work? And just what exactly is my line of work?"

The Night Nurse rolled her eyes, "Heroism you idiot. I'm a doctor to the likes of heroes."

Lance turned to 'Charles,' and he held up a hand, "Fine whatever. I'm gonna go work out."

-An hour or so later in the basement-

Lance had a small section of the basement converted into a make shift gym. He was currently on the bench, bench-pressing three hundred and fifty pounds. He was obviously used to this kind of training because he was barely sweating and he moved the weight with relative ease.

N'Kantu got up from his bed in a different corner of the room, "Lance, may I ask why you and St. John are constantly working out?"

Lance stopped lifting for a minute and sat up, "Our ability to use our powers depends on our physical condition," he got up and placed fifty more pounds on the bar, "People think it's all psionic, and that's true to a degree, but we also have to be physically fit, so our bodies don't crumble from the mental and physical pressure," he then sat down and started lifting more weight.

As he got deeper into repetition, the basement door opened and two sets of feet could be heard. The first made her presence known immediately, "Numb-nuts! What the hell was that?"

Lance put the bar back on the stand, "What?"

Raven glared at him, "Don't give me that. You questioned her skill. You doubted my judgment."

Lance stood up, he looked much more intimidating than usual. He stood shirtless in front of Raven and his wife, a glint in his eye that said he was most unhappy, "Why'd you have to dress up like Xavier huh?"

Raven sighed finally understanding what was ticking off her field commander, "The Night Nurse saves 'heroes,' we are not heroes, she might have sabotaged his health."

Lance nodded and relaxed his frame, then Regan stepped forward, "Lance I think you should check on your friends, they aren't right." Lance grabbed his shirt and a towel and quickly made his way up the stairs. Once he was out of earshot Regan turned to Raven, "What did she say?"

Raven sat on the bench and signaled for N'Kantu to listen as well, "She can't do anything to bring him out…" she paused.

Regan studied her face, "But?"

Raven smiled, "His vitals are strong, almost too strong. There is no muscle deterioration to speak of."

Regan crossed her arms, "Do you think Wanda is helping him?"

N'Kantu shook his head, "Wanda, has not used her magic on Pietro, Deuce or I would have detected it."

Regan's facial features softened, "Lance told me about the experiment Magneto put them through…" she paused, "Do you think they could be experiencing side effects?"

Worry was present on Raven's face, "What's wrong with my boys?"

-Several minutes later in the backyard-

The Brotherhood boys were sitting in lawn chairs around a crate they 'liberated' from the docks. Lance made his way to his brethren and sat amongst them.

He studied the look on each of their faces before he finally spoke, "What's wrong with you guys?"

Freddy was the first to look at his fearless leader, "We've been talking about the guys that jumped us."

Lance leaned back in the chair and crossed his arms, "Come to any conclusions?"

Todd leapt from his chair onto the crate, he landed in a crouched position, "They're all older than us, and it looks like they got way more experience with their powers."

St. John shot up, "Your Sheila said something about 'Sinister,' you think Mags would know anything about him?"

Lance peeked an eyebrow, "We don't know how to contact him. The only two people that would know are the twins, and neither of them are in any condition to tell us anything."

St. John sighed and fell into his chair, "Wanda took it hard huh mate?"

Freddy stood up, "So what now? Just wait and look over our shoulders?"

Lance's facial features shifted to a serious tone, "All right look, here are the new ground rules. First off, they always seem to know where we are, so from now on you don't go anywhere alone," the boys got quiet as he spoke, "Second, they aren't afraid to show up at the house and attack, I want at least two people in the house at any given time, Mystique, the dog, and the Mummy can hold things together until we get out of school," the boys nodded, "Third, they haven't attacked Wanda, whether that means they're afraid of her or they think she's not worth it doesn't matter, I want someone with her, just in case," the boys sat still as he continued to speak, "Four, this is our fight, don't bring the X-geeks, or any of your girlfriends into this," the boys agreed, "Last, I am NOT losing another member of this team… of this family, so stay on guard at all times, trust no one outside of the group."

Todd was the first to speak, "We're gonna get through this yo," he then did a back flip and landed in his chair with his hands behind his head and his feet kicked up onto the crate.

St. John cackled, "You're damn roihght Todd, just let 'em troih to come here and start something!" two lighters in his hands a small inferno dancing in front of him.

Freddy pounded his fist into his open palm, "Yeah, I'm gonna show them what pain's all about."

Lance smiled at his team, at his family, "We've been through worse, hell we fought the spawn of Satan himself."

St. John smirked, "We fought the Government."

Todd chuckled, "The sons of a Norse God."

Freddy crossed his arms, "And Magneto himself."

Lance leapt up and let powerful tremors rip through the ground, "We've been through hundreds of fights! Beaten everyone who decided to cross us! Twice!" he held up two fingers, "Who are they to challenge us? We're the Brotherhood and when we decide it, we conquer fate! What makes this any different?"

"Cause we've never been hurt this badly before," the boys turned to see Wanda's angry scowl, "We've always been able to fight together," she paused, "All six of us," she made her way to the crate and slammed her fists onto it, "That's what makes this different."

Todd stood up, "But he's not gone, he's gonna come back… right?"

The elder Brotherhood members refused to answer, they even refused to move. Each one had their head hung low with an angry scowl plastered on their faces. Todd was now the youngest Brotherhood boy by almost two years, without the fleet-footed seventeen year old there was only Wanda to bridge the gap, but some how it just didn't feel the same.

Todd continued to look at his brethren, "Right?"


	4. Revelations

-Early the next morning in Pietro's room-

It was early, very early, the sun wasn't even up yet, but that didn't stop someone from lifting the window, and slipping into the room unnoticed. She stood over his bed and watched as he breathed. She got as close to him as possible and dropped to her knees. There she was, Laura Kinney, the 'daughter' of the famed Wolverine, she was trained to feel nothing, to think nothing, but it all changed when she met this silver-haired speedster. She had thought that he was the freest person on the planet, so she fell for him. She fell for him hard, but he had no romantic interest in her, because his heart belonged to Anna. Pietro had a fling with her when Anna had broken up with him, but she knew she could never tame the fleet-footed Pietro into being hers.

Laura held his hand tightly in her own, "Pietro…" she paused, "Daddy says you're a bad influence, that I shouldn't even associate with you," she smiled, "But how can I stay away? I've seen you do so much, I've seen the people you care about, and whether you ever choose to admit it or not, I know you care about them deeply."

She looked out the window, "Anna," her facial features shifted to anger, "How could you possibly love her? She could never understand you. You the fastest man on the planet, you who could have any woman he so desires, you who is willing to do anything for the people you love…" a tear rolled down her cheek, "Even die."

Dawn was rapidly approaching. Sunlight was beginning to filter through the open window. She would have to make her leave, for Wanda would be there soon, to check on her dear brother. Laura had stayed hidden once and watched as the Scarlet Witch sat with Pietro, holding his hand talking to him about children and lovers. There was another woman who had a higher rank in the speed demon's heart. She was jealous of the bond between Wanda and Pietro.

Laura held his hand tighter, "I'm sure that night is just a memory to you, but to me it was everything. Daddy knew right away, he could smell you all over my body. He almost came here to kill you, but Ororo told him that being a good father would be difficult and that he'd have to forgive my mistakes," She moved his bangs away from his face, and swept them behind his ear, "I wish that I was there, I could have survived the blast, and you'd be okay, and no one would be depressed…" she paused and got up, "But we don't always get what we want," she bent down and gave him a kiss on the forehead, and then she left through the window, being careful to close it quietly.

Just as the window closed the door opened to reveal Wanda, "Hey baby brother."

-Several hours later in the halls of Bayville High-

Wanda walked the halls her backpack opened slightly. Every now and then it would get strange looks, as if it was moving on its own. But then the hall monitor noticed a small nose peek out of it.

He then blocked Wanda's path, "What's in the backpack?"

Wanda glared up at him, he was one of the X-Men, but she couldn't remember which squad he belonged to. He was tall and blonde and he wore a goofy sash draped across his chest exemplifying his authority, "None of your damn business," she snapped her fingers, "Angel."

Warren looked around, "No codenames, and can't you give me a break? I didn't even want this job."

Before Wanda could issue her response, Deuce the Devil Dog erupted from her backpack, now standing roughly six feet tall, he let out a demonic bark and began chasing a student.

Wanda glared at her dog as he tackled the student. She then rolled her eyes, "Another X-Man. Deuce put the ice-boy down now!"

Deuce began to whimper and set Bobby down, "He ate my sandwich!"

Wanda glared at the dog again and it shrunk down into its puppy form. Deuce then trotted to his master's side. Wanda bent down and picked him up. He gave her a small lick on the cheek and then turned to Bobby, "Turkey's his favorite."

Warren stepped in front of her, "I may be relatively new to public school but I'm pretty sure you're not allowed to bring a dog to school."

Wanda grabbed him by the front of his shirt, but she wasn't the first to speak, "Oh man you're gonna be a corpse yo!"

Wanda turned to see her brethren eating from Chinese boxes. Lance slurped up some noodles, "Yeah, no one tells the Scarlet Witch what to do. Especially an X-geek with a badge."

Wanda found a new target for her aggression, "Where the hell have you idiots been? I had to go through two classes without anyone."

St. John shoved a whole egg roll into his mouth, "That's whoih we told you to bring Deuce Sheila, for protection."

Wanda almost smacked him, "Where did you go? Why didn't you bring me?"

The boys stared at a fuming Wanda. Lance attempted to give her the Patented Brotherhood Smile of Innocence, "We went to get Chinese for lunch," he then held up an un-open bag marked 'Wanda's open and die, have a nice day.'

St. John cackled, "We are so dead mate," the other boys nodded in agreement.

Lance stepped forward, "Wanda. Put down the X-Geek, you are scaring Freddy," Freddy, as well as the other Brotherhood boys, was now cowering behind Lance.

Warren was sweating, now being several inches above the ground, "I should have stayed in Private School."

Lance tried to calm her again, "Wanda… Want some Chinese?" she got closer to the boys, her fists clenched with rage, "Oh this is gonna hurt."

Wanda glared at the boys, "You left me alone for two classes," the lights began to flicker, "You know I hate P.E. and Keyboarding."

Lance attempted another Patented Brotherhood Smile of Innocence, "Can't we all just get along?"

-Several hours later in the Med Bay-

Jean laughed as Wanda told her today's story.

Wanda stared into her giant green eyes, "You're beautiful," Jean blushed slightly, "Can I get you anything?"

Jean smiled, "No Hank says that I need to rest."

Wanda nodded, "What about your powers?"

Jean sighed, "My body is still too weak to fully harness them…" she paused for a moment, "Using them could rip me in half," Wanda squeezed her hand slightly, "Did you thank your brother for me?"

Wanda nodded, "He knew what he was doing…" her face fell into sadness, "He saved you and my… our children."

Jean smiled and kissed her on the cheek, "Not to mention all the innocent people."

Wanda just stared at the object of her affection, "Yeah, underneath his ego, he's a good guy."

Jean smirked, "Do you want to take our children home?" Wanda's eyes went wide with a mixture of joy and shock, "I'll send Anna with their things," Jean chuckled, "Don't worry you'll do fine."

-A few hours later in Pietro's room-

Anna had brought the twin's belonging to the boarding house. After she arrived Wanda forced the remainder of the Brotherhood to fetch a crib for her loved ones, and after some persuasion of the hex-bolt variety, they left for their task.

Anna now sat in a chair next to Pietro's bed, she recalled being in his room when Lance burst through the door carrying Pietro's bloody, lifeless body into the room. He had said one word to her, 'move.' She did as told and she could only watch in shock as bandages were applied and people rushed in and out of the room. His healing ability was already hard at work repairing the damage, and within a day's time it had nearly burned itself out bringing him back from certain death. She had stood in the corner that entire time, his body was like new, he had no scars from the explosion, and his older scars were almost unnoticeable, but he just wouldn't wake up. Regan theorized that his healing ability shut down every part of his body that was essential so it could use that energy to heal.

Anna removed her glove and reached out for his hand. She smiled as she stroked his knuckles, there wasn't that familiar pulling sensation she had when she touched anyone else, "Ah told ya ah'd wait for ya…" she paused for a moment, "But ah have so much to confess to ya."

She waited for any sort of response, but all he did was breathe, so she took the initiative.

She sighed, "Ah… ah slept with…" she swallowed a hard lump in her throat, "Ah slept with Piotr. Are ya happy? Ya know ah could never keep it from ya, so whah do ya keep badgerin' meh?" she began laughing, "Look at meh, ah'm still arguin' lahke we used to… lahke nothin' happened at all…" she paused for several minutes, "Ah… Ah'm so sorry for everythin', everythin' ah ever did to ya, everythin' ah ever put ya through, and most all everythin' ah could never admit," she looked down for a few minutes, "But now ah can tell ya," when she finally looked up again tears were rolling down her cheek and she was smiling, "Ah… Ah love ya Pietro."

He breathed again, as if acknowledging her declaration of love.

She wiped away the tears, "But ah swear to Odin, that if ya diah, ah will personally drag you back to lahfe and send ya on a one way trip to the grave."


	5. Hello Lonely

-The next morning in the Brotherhood Boarding House-

Sunlight had been trying to peek through the drapes, and it was actually a quiet and peaceful morning in the Brotherhood house, but you as well as I know that it can never ever last for long.

St. John and Lance barreled through the front door, both wearing their P.E. attire, as they came through the door they landed flat on their faces with a loud thud. Both were drenched in sweat and tears.

Lance was the first to start crawling to the living room, "I shoulda never married."

St. John followed closely behind dragging his entire body with his chin, "That Sheila's troihing to kill us!"

They finally made it to the mighty Brotherhood couch and pulled their tired and sore bodies onto it. Lance glared at the remote, "Come to me."

At that moment Regan jogged into the room with a few water bottles in her hands, she smiled and tossed them to her husband and his friend. Lance caught it with some effort, but the bottle just bounced off St. John's head and fell into his lap, "Thanks Sheila, oih needed that."

Regan shook her head and guzzled from her bottle, "I'm so happy you decided to run in the morning's with me, it's so much easier when you have someone their telling you to push yourself harder."

Lance rolled his eyes, "We were telling you to slow down."

Regan smiled, "And I can't believe that truck almost hit you John."

St. John starred at the water bottle in a vain attempt to will it open and into his mouth, "Oih was troihing to throw moihself in front of it!"

And just then an equally tired Wanda came down the stairs one child in each arm, "I have no idea what I'm doing!"

Regan grabbed one bundle of joy and held him, "What's wrong?"

Wanda sighed, "There's been a lot of not sleeping and crying."

Regan made faces at the baby, "Awe they've been crying all night and couldn't sleep?"

Wanda let out a sarcastic laugh, "They won't sleep and I've been crying."

Regan smiled, "Have you tried the dryer trick?"

Wanda peeked an eyebrow in confusion, "You want me to put my babies in the dryer?"

"No you turn on the dryer and the steady motion puts them to sleep," she paused for a moment, "Aren't you guys going to be late to school?"

Wanda grabbed her child and made a break for the basement, "N'Kantu! You're baby sitting!"

-A few hours later in Salem Oregon-

It was fall in Oregon the leaves were beautiful shades of red, yellow, and brown. The wind blew with an eerie chill. In the middle of a small hill was a rather old house; most of the trees were barren. Inside the house was a different matter. Small trinkets were displayed in small cases and bookshelves littered the walls. Agatha Harkness was sitting at her desk reading an unbelievably thick book, when there came a knock at her door.

She rose and made her way to the sound, "Hello," her eyes went wide as she saw the mammoth of a man, but fear never crept into her eyes, "May I help you."

The man looked down at her, "My boss has a job for you."

She snorted, "I already know of this 'job,' it's impossible and I won't even attempt it."

The man reached out an arm that was as thick as a tree trunk, crimson bands wrapped around it, "Listen lady, I don't care what you say. Magneto sent me here and no one but no one disobeys him."

Agatha smirked and purple flames erupted from her finger tips and they shot the man off of her porch and several feet away, "That should teach you some manners," She walked outside and noticed he was laying next to a giant metal sphere.

The man dusted himself off and reached into the sphere and pulled out a helmet, he placed it onto his head and buckled four eerily familiar buckles, "Mags said if I couldn't get you to help his boy, then I should try and 'persuade' you."

Her eyes went wide, "How are you able to stand?"

The man rushed her, "I'm the Juggernaut!" she disappeared and he crashed through the front of her house landing on some of her trinkets, he shook his head and a glowing ruby caught his eye, so he grabbed it.

Agatha reappeared by his sided, "No don't touch that you foul man!"

He then began to read the inscription on the golden frame, "Whosoever touches this gem shall posses the power of the Crimson Bands of Cyttorak. Henceforth, you who read these words shall become forever more a human Juggernaut." Upon completing the incantation the gem fused with his body and his armor began glowing an even more sinister red.

Agatha began chanting, "Use this man's own despair to turn flesh into liquid, muscle into fluid, and organs into solution," a dark flame was then cast upon Cain, his flesh, muscle, and organs fell off his bones like water, and Agatha smiled, "Just in time." But as she looked at the crimson skeleton she noticed something peculiar, "Where is the gem?"

Cain's skeleton then rose to it's feet, still wearing his helmet, "Despair? I been feelin' despair my whole life. And I learned how to deal with it," he took a step towards her, "I got mad!"

Fear crept into Agatha's eyes; "You stand? You can move?"

Cain's crimson skeleton would have smirked if it still had lips, "Cause life is pain. Pain leads to despair. And the only way to beat despair is through rage. And rage feeds the Juggernaut. Once the Juggernaut feels rage… nothing… of this world or ANY world… NOTHING CAN STOP THE JUGGERNAUT!"

Agatha blasted him several more times with a variety of magical spells, "Impossible how are you even moving? There's nothing left… nothing but…"

Memories of Charles flashed through Cain's mind, "Nothing but hate."

Luckily for Agatha, Erik chose that moment to intervene, "Enough!" Cain stopped and crossed his arms, and to both Agatha and Erik's amazement organs muscle and flesh that had melted away was now being restored, "Will you help my son witch or shall I release the Juggernaut?"

Agatha regained her composure, "I can not help your heir Magnus. Nothing in my magic can bring him back, not even your daughter's magic can help him."

Erik sneered at her but turned to leave, Cain inched his way to her, "We are done here Juggernaut!"

Cain snorted his flesh finally restored, "Thanks for the boost."

Agatha dropped to her knees the moment she saw Erik and the metal sphere leave her property, "May the Gods help us if Magnus cannot control him."

-Later that night at the Brotherhood Boarding House-

Wanda had dispatched the Brotherhood boys and Regan, for intelligence purposes, to fetch diapers, and seeing as Raven, N'Kantu, and Deuce were home as well, Lance saw no reason to protest.

Lance, Regan, and the rest of the boys got out of the Challenger, but something didn't sit right with Lance. He stopped halfway to the house and studied it for a moment.

St. John peeked an eyebrow, "Everythin' okay mate?"

Lance eyes shot open, and he dropped the bags, "Todd, Freddy go around to the front. Johnny, Regan you're with me!" the boys didn't question their orders and took off.

Lance, Regan, and St. John rushed to the back door and pushed it open. After walking in they inspected the Kitchen and Dining room, "What's wrong mate?"

Regan kept looking around, "It's too quiet," St. John shrugged, "In what world is a house inhabited by two babies, a dog, two women, and a television watching mummy quiet?"

St. John finally understanding looked around more vigilantly as well, until Freddy's voice come from the other end of the house, "Lance someone blew the door right off it's hinges!"

Lance and St. John rushed to the front of the house, where Freddy had lifted the door and Todd was scooping up Wanda. Lance looked around and found Deuce in his puppy form unconscious on the floor. St. John flipped over the couch and found N'Kantu as well. The house was in shambles. A literal war zone, but Lance still couldn't rest. Lance rushed up the stairs and into Raven's bedroom where he found a severally beaten Raven laying on the floor, two pistols in her hands, but one arm was twisted in an unnatural way. From what he could gather they tried to attack her but she emptied a few shells into the door. He gently placed the women on the bed and he yelled at the top his lungs and released a powerful tremor. He walked out of the room and slammed the door shut. He peered across the hall and stared at an empty crib. He then made his way down the hall and into Pietro's room.

Lance stood there staring at the speed demon, "Pietro! We were attacked and you couldn't even help! They're all hurt! I'm pretty sure Mystique's arm is broken!" Todd, Regan, and St. John were now at the door, "The dog and the mummy, have been beaten stupid!" he paused for a moment catching his breath, "They kidnapped your nephews and they beat Wanda." He shook his head, "They beat two innocent women, and your sister was one of them." he clenched his fists and released another tremor, "You don't hit a woman! Ever! Even after she hits you, burns you, stabs you, and tries to blow you up!"

Just when Lance finished his speech Freddy ran up to them, "Lance they're back! But they're just standing on the front lawn!"

Lance, Regan, and the boys turned back to Pietro's room and noticed that he was gone and the window was open, Todd put his hand on Lance's shoulder, "What should we do yo?"

Lance smiled, "Suit up! For some reason Pietro knows more than we do, so we're gonna buy him as much time as we can! If you can take out your opponents down… do it."


	6. Marauders

-A few minutes later in the front yard-

Freddy was the first to rush out of the house in his new uniform. It resembled his old circus costume. Except it was dominantly black and yellow instead of orange, and he know wore yellow bands around his wrists as well. Next was Regan in her new uniform, tight dark purple pants with a white belt and several pouches, and a top that wrapped around her chest but left her midsection exposed, it had no sleeves or straps and seemed to defy gravity, she also had armored gloves that covered everything from her fingers to her biceps. Todd then hopped out of the house wearing armored boots that went up to his knees, and black Kevlar pants, as well as what seemed to be a smaller and lighter bullet-proof vest, over a green long sleeved shirt and fingerless gloves. St. John then cackled in a uniform that quite resembled his old one but more heavily black than red but it kept with the orange accents. He also had a small pouch on his belt and the new sleeker flamethrowers attached, the backpack was small no bigger that a square foot, and it matched his uniform flawlessly. Finally Lance walked out of the house adjusting his helmet, it was almost exactly like his old uniform, except sleeveless, and now he had pieces of armor on his forearms, and to top it off he kept his old clear helmet.

Lance stepped in front of the Brotherhood and starred down at their enemies. There they were Gambit, Mastermind, Arclight, Harpoon, and Riptide. Lance snorted, "You know…" he paused, "The smart thing to do, would be to trade rivals and play off their weaknesses…" he smirked, "But it's a good thing the Brotherhood isn't exactly known for their brilliance."

Remy smirked, "Marauders, boss-man said he wanted some samples… so try and leave some pieces big enough to bring back." With that they were off to attack the Brotherhood.

Lance shook his head, "Freddy do it." Freddy leapt into the air and slammed into the ground in front of the Marauders taking them off guard.

Lance focused his seismic energy and created a tidal wave of Earth that he rode atop and into Phillipa. He then took off with her down the street and into the less populated part of the town.

St. John just tackled Remy and engulfed both, himself and Remy in a giant fireball that took to the air.

Todd the leapt on Janos' face and then started leaping and sprinting down the street Janos following as closely as he could.

Freddy then got up and tackled Kodiak across the street.

When Martinique finally regained her balance she was face to face with her younger sister. Martinique smirked, "Your man isn't here to save you this time!"

-Meanwhile in Downtown Bayville-

There was a strange gust of wind flowing down the streets and all of a sudden there was a loud crash in an alley. Garbage cans were thrown into the wall and trash rained from the sky. And there in the middle of everything lay Pietro spread eagle flat on his back. He was breathing heavily and he only wore a pair of pajama bottoms.

Suddenly he heard a voice, "Get up," it was somewhat faint, "I said get up," it was becoming more clear, "Dammit Pietro if you don't get up we're going to lose them!"

Pietro sprang to his feet and examined his surroundings, "Who's there?"

"Pietro, you are such a simple little man," the voice seemed to be coming from everywhere at once.

Pietro stood up straight and calmed down, he then peered into the glass of a local shop, "What do you want Quicksilver?"

-A few minutes later at the construction site-

A fireball landed in the middle of the site with a sick thud, the flames quickly dispersed and two bodies were flung from crash site and both landed on their feet ready to attack.

Remy reached into his coat and pulled out his Bo, "You gone and done somethin' real stupid dis time Johnny."

St. John glared at the Cajun, "Don't call me that! Only moih mates can call me that!"

Remy smirked and reached for a few playing cards, "Never could beat me Johnny," he let the name slip from his lips with a hint of venom, "But dis is gonna be a lot of fun mon ami."

-Meanwhile at Bayville High School-

Freddy hoped the fence to the track field and slammed Kodiak on the ground, then threw him into the bleachers.

Freddy glared at the man as he reached for a harpoon, "Boy you just don't know when to quit."

Freddy charged him absorbing harpoon blasts and shrugging them off, "Got that right!"

-Bayville shopping center-

Todd leapt off of light posts, buildings, benches, and parking meters.

Janos was always right behind him, picking up weapons that had already been thrown, and throwing them again, "Hold still you little pest!"

Todd smiled and hung from a street sign, "Not so easy when I can see it coming huh?"

-Meanwhile at Bayville park-

Lance slammed Philippa into a tree; then they rose onto a column of Earth and he slammed her into a bench, and finally he threw her into the water fountain.

Lance settled back down onto stable ground and waited for her to get up. In all of his fighting experience, he knew it was never this easy, "Under normal circumstances, I would never lay a hand on a woman…" he was interrupted as Phillipa sent a shock wave of seismic energy towards him.

She stood with one foot still in the fountain and her body weight shifted to her other leg that was atop the rim of the fountain, "It's a shame I gotta kill you lover," she smirked, "Would have liked to go a few rounds with you between the sheets."

Lance got up from the ground, his vibrational shield still pulsating, "You didn't let me finish, normally I would never hit a woman, but in this case, I'll be happy to split your skull open." He rushed her riding a tidal wave of concrete and dirt, while she took a battle position.

-A few minutes later on the outskirts of Bayville-

Pietro was rummaging through an old Acolyte Base hoping to find something he had left there so long ago.

Pietro broke open a crate, and started tossing objects around, "Why am I doing this?"

He looked into the metallic floor and Quicksilver smirked, "Because you need me."

Pietro glared at his reflection, Quicksilver was clean-shaven and had his hair elegantly swept back, while Pietro had his hair in shambles and if he could grow facial hair he'd probably have stubble, but he couldn't. After all a baby face was more aerodynamic, "This is so stupid."

Quicksilver slammed his fists into the ground, "You saw those losers on the front lawn, same as I did. You know damn well Lance and the rest of the boys can take them any day of the week. And that's just perfect, because we know exactly where Sinister is, and we're going to pay him a visit."

Pietro used his speed to rummage faster, "I could hear everything, everything over the last month. Wanda, Anna, Lance, Laura, the boys, hell my father, I can remember everything they said…" he paused, "I found it," he held up a black ball of Kevlar.

Quicksilver smirked, "Put it on Pietro."

Pietro took off his pajama bottoms and began putting on the uniform. It was a one-piece black and white Kevlar uniform that was fingerless like his old one, he had some brand new boots that were identical to his old ones. He then put on a white belt. He looked at himself in one of the old monitor screens and noticed that it had two lightning bolts that started at his shoulders and almost went down to his belt, and the area between was completely white.

Quicksilver began to clap, "Lookin' good Pietro, lookin' real good."

-Meanwhile at the Mansion-

Charles had been monitoring the situation after the initial surge of seismic energy. He wheeled himself out of Cerebro and down the hall.

He stopped in front of Scott, "Scott, there is a great deal of mutant activity in Bayville I would appreciate it if you would take your X-Men and investigate."

Scott nodded, "It's probably those losers at the boarding house trying to kill roaches again."

Charles held up his hand, "No it's not just the Brotherhood, there are more mutant signatures."

Scott examined the Professor, "Why not send Anna and her team? They've been training for this for a long time now."

Charles shook his head, "It's too risky one of the signatures matches Remy's perfectly, and I sense that Pietro has awoken and is pursuing his own agenda."

Scott sneered, "Gambit and Quicksilver."

Charles sighed, "Jean is still not ready for field work, I suggest that you ask Hank to accompany you."

Scott started walking away, "Sure thing Professor."

After Scott was safely on the elevator Charles turned his attention to the side, "I know you're here Anna."

Anna walked out of the shadows, "Ya gave me this job for a reason. Ya knew if ah had to fahght Pietro, ah wouldn't hold back…" she paused, "What makes this any different?"

Charles steepled his hands, "Remy is…"

She quickly interrupted him and her eyes became angry slits, "Ah know damn well he's alahve and if he crosses mah path ah'll… ah'll…" she trailed off.

Charles began wheeling himself down the hall, "And that is exactly the reason I didn't send you, until you can think clearly you will be a liability to your team."

Anna glared at the back of his head, "We'll see about that," she reached into her pocket and pulled out a small com device, "Sam, get the others together, we got a mission."


	7. Beat Me Down

-Several seconds later in an alley way-

A woman walked down a dark and spooky alley. Her eyes darted around, and she held her purse tight. She wore a skirt and heels. She heard something metallic hit the concrete and she quickened her pace, she smiled as she neared the end of the alley. But her happiness was short lived as some random thug cut her off.

He smirked at her, obviously undressing her with his eyes, and two of his friends came out from the shadows. They encircled her and grabbed her purse. But that wasn't good enough for one of them. He tossed her against the wall and began choking the life out of her.

Tears were streaming from her eyes, "Scream and I'll kill you."

"That's not a nice thing to say to a woman," the thugs looked up to see none other than Pietro, "Normally, I'd be talking so fast, you wouldn't be able to understand me, but you flatscans have caught me at the end of a very bad day," they moved in on him, and in an instant they were all unconscious on the ground.

The woman ran up to Pietro and hugged him, "You… you saved me!"

Pietro shook her off, "You know you're an idiot," the woman looked at him in confusion, "Why the hell would you be walking down a dark alley at this time of night huh? And wearing," he looked at her attire, "Heels, you're just begging to be mugged. One wrong step and you just broke your ankle! You've got victim written all over your face!" he took a few breaths and sighed, "Call the cops okay?"

She looked at him in shock, "After all that, 'Call the cops,' is all you have to say?"

Pietro threw his hands in the air, "What do you want from me? I just saved you!"

She shrugged, "Are you all right?"

Pietro smiled and snorted, "No, I am far from all right," he paused, "Look there's a convenience store around the corner, go wait there for the police."

She nodded and in the time it took her to blink her savior was gone.

-The construction site-

Things have been steadily getting worse for the Brotherhood. Although they had a great deal more raw power than their opponents, they lacked the necessary finesse to deal the finishing blow.

Remy dipped his hand into a bucket of nuts and bolts, charged them and tossed them at St. John. The resulting impact caused him to be hurled into a bulldozer. And Remy, not one to let his opponent rest, quickly closed the gap and began disarming him of his flamethrowers, "Well looky here mon ami, don' dis situation look familiar?"

St. John attempted to go toe to toe with the Cajun but he was just a better close quarters fighter, "How about you say that without your teeth?"

Remy's Bo made contact with St. John's side; he could feel a rib snap. Remy smirked, "Come on Johnny you can't even hope to beat me."

-Meanwhile at Bayville High-

Freddy was on his hands and knees writhing in pain, Kodiak would periodically toss a charged harpoon at him and increase the level of pain Freddy was in.

Freddy tried to stand, "I'm… the Blob… I can take anything… you can throw… and more!"

Kodiak smirked and charged a harpoon, but it was different this one was charged red. When it made contact with Freddy it exploded with such force the ground began to crumble, "Looks like I made you a liar boy," smoke circled around him.

-Meanwhile in Bayville shopping center-

Todd was actually doing quite well for himself, until the infamous Brotherhood luck kicked in. As he landed on the ground he applied too much pressure to his injured foot, and in the time it took him to wince he had already been stabbed several times.

Janos smirked as he stood over Todd's body, "Patience is the key kid, don't have to hit you until you screw up," Todd spit some slime at him but he easily dodged it, "Won't go down without a fight huh?"

Todd hopped onto his hands and tried to kick Janos in the face but that attack failed as well, "Who said anything about fighting yo? I'm just gonna call you names and run away," Todd then leapt into the air and then off a wall.

Janos laughed, "I love a moving target!"

-Meanwhile in Bayville Park-

Lance's head slammed into a tree, Phillipa had him by the ankles and was swinging him around like the blades of a helicopter. She finally released him and he crashed into the fountain.

Lance got up and firmly planted his feet on the ground, "That… that all you got?"

Phillipa smirked at him, "That's why I like you lover, you're stronger than the rest of those losers you hang out with," Lance glared at her, "They're not even in your league, my friends have probably already finished them off…" she paused then smiled, "Want to go to a movie?"

Lance stomped the ground with one foot and sent her flying into the air, "No one bad mouths my team except me and Wanda and Mystique…" he paused, "And the Girl Scouts!"

Phillipa smirked at him from the air and righted herself; "You've already lost!"

Lance sank into the ground and then shot up riding a column of Earth, "I've been hearing that my whole life!" Lance threw up his shield made contact with Phillipa; she relentlessly punched and elbowed the rock tumbler.

She laughed, "So this is the direction my powers could have gone in."

Lance was caught off guard and was swiftly punched in the jaw, he landed and rubbed his now bleeding lip, "What?"

She landed and smirked, "We started out the same way," she lifted her left foot and stomped the ground, what followed next left Lance speechless, a familiar tidal wave of Earth shot towards Lance, but he swiftly dove out of the way. She then walked over to him and picked up a piece of concrete, "But instead of a shield," she smashed the stone without much effort, "I got stronger."

Lance smirked from his position on the ground, "Well looks like I'll have to show you what being in the Brotherhood is really about!"

-Meanwhile at the Boarding House-

Both daughter's of Mastermind were bleeding and heavily bruised, and since their powers had absolutely no effect on each other they had to come up with new ways to attack each other.

Martinique glared at her sister, "Your ass looks fat in Kevlar."

Regan glared right back at her, "At least I know how to keep a man, Father always thought you played for the other team," with that both girls leapt at each other in a fury that could be rivaled by none.

-A few seconds later in Downtown Bayville-

Pietro stopped in a clearing, and glared at his surroundings. He walked in a straight line occasionally stomping on the ground.

He stopped when he finally heard an echo, "Never thought I'd be back here…" he dug his fingers into the dirt and forced a metallic door open, "They fought the first sentinel here."

He jumped down the shaft and slid at, what a normal man would consider, an alarming rate. He silently reached the ground and quickly realized that he was in some lab with technology that far surpassed even his father's inventions, he then made his way to hide behind some equipment. He worked his way around the lab, and glared as he saw his nephews in a glass container. But he couldn't rescue them just yet, he needed more information and he was determined to get it. He sped around the complex and finally located his target.

There he was, Mister Sinister, hunched over a microscope examining some DNA samples, no doubt from his nephews. Pietro actually walked into the room and leaned against the door, "Bad night to be the bad guy Sinister."

Sinister looked up from his work and smiled, "You're correct in that assessment, but…" he began rubbing his chin, "By definition, you're not the good guy either."

Pietro smirked, "Touché," he stood tall and a glint in his eye reminded Sinister of his father, "The good guy would never do the things I have planned…" he paused and ran his hand along the duffle bag, "Would he?"

-Meanwhile in Laura's room-

After Sam gave the order that Anna wanted her team together, each member began suiting up. Laura was now in the process of zipping up her new sleeveless purple uniform, when a knock came at the door.

Laura looked up then rolled her eyes, "What do you want Rogue, I'm getting ready as fast as I can?"

Anna opened the door, walked into the room, and quickly closed the door behind her. She now wore tight green pants and a shirt that went down to her hips to form a sort of skirt, it had a white band around her hips and another white stripe that went up over her chest and stopped at her neck. Her gloves were green and had to white stripes as well, and her boots were fashioned in the same way. She had a long green cape that reached the floor and had a white stripe along the hem, and a hood with a white stripe around the hem as well, "Ah know you and Pietro had a thing whahle we were 'separated,' but you have to know one thing…"

Laura cut her off and rolled her eyes, "No you listen, for what ever reason he loves you. I can't explain it, nor do I want to but I'm going to back off, cause contrary to popular belief; I am not as heartless as I was programmed to be."

Anna's face softened, "Trust me he's not that great."

Laura smirked, "For that seven and a half hours…" the smirked shifted to a surreal smile, "He made me feel like a Goddess."

Anna peeked an eyebrow, "Seven and a half hours?"

Laura genuinely smiled, "Well his sister did just show up at the door."

Anna shook her head and made her way out of the room, "Just sneak out the back and don't let anyone see ya."


	8. Steal My Pride

-A few minutes later in Bayville Park-

Lance sat against the fountain with a bloody and possibly broken nose, while Phillipa stood over him with her arms across her chest.

She chuckled, "I guess you've never met a woman who could kick your ass like me."

Lance took off his helmet and held it tightly in one hand. He ran his finger along the outside of it, "Obviously you've never met my wife."

She picked him up by the shirt collar, and ground her teeth while she talked, "Listen, those losers you hang out with could never beat the Marauders in a fight. We're better trained, we've mastered fighting techniques, we've mastered every aspect of our powers, what could those losers ever do to beat the Marauders?"

Lance smirked, "Improvise," he then slammed his helmet on her temple and watched as it shattered. She fell to the ground clutching her head in pain, "You've mastered so many things, but you're still unprepared to fight the likes of us. You're a master of some form of kung fu? Well the Brotherhood boys are masters of street fighting, and we don't lose easy!" he punctuated his statement by kicking her in the ribs.

She looked up at him her honor as well as her body in pain, "You… you kicked me while I was down."

He kicked her in the face one last time finally rendering her conscious, "Yeah well it's in my experience, that that's the most opportune time to kick someone," He then turned his back to her and started walking home, "No honor among thieves."

-Meanwhile at the construction sit-

St. John received one Bo shot after another, his body was bruised, but the Kevlar provided a lot of protection. He now lay against a steel garter clutching his damaged ribs.

Remy was slowly but surely closing the gap, "Johnny?" he reached into his coat pocket and pulled out an entire deck of cards, "You know it's nothin' personal right mon ami?" St. John spat at him, "I thought so," he charged the entire deck, "You remember dis move right? I actually beat Petey with it," he smirked.

St. John smirked right back at him and threw sand in his eyes, "Well it's a good thing oih learned from the Brotherhood."

For fear of blowing himself up, Remy absorbed the energy from his deck and slipped them back into his pocket, "Dat was a really low t'ing to do Johnny," he rubbed at his eyes and finally got the sand from them, only to see St. John standing fifteen feet away with several capsules in his hands, "What are dose?"

St. John cackled and threw them at the ground, what came next thoroughly rendered Remy speechless. The capsules exploded and there was now an inferno for St. John to use, "Loihke 'em? Toad made 'em for me after the last toihme you and me fought," he summoned a giant hand and used it to grab Remy and slammed him repeatedly into the bulldozer until he lost consciousness, "Only moih mates can call me Johnny," with a flick of the wrist the fire was out, "Remember that." He then picked up his flamethrowers and made his way back home.

-Meanwhile at Bayville High-

Kodiak was laughing at the smoke filled field. He slapped his knee on occasion and would wipe away imaginary tears. That is until the smoke cleared.

There stood Freddy in one piece, a small burn on his chest, just glaring at the man. Kodiak's face twisted to shock, "You shoulda been vaporized!"

Freddy smirked, "Yeah? And you shoulda called in sick."

Kodiak shook his head in disbelief, "How are you…"

Freddy interrupted him, "You know…" Kodiak threw more harpoons at him but Freddy just shrugged them off, "Pietro had the perfect explanation for me and my powers. He said, 'It's never about speed or slick moves or razor-sharp reflexes. It's about what you can take. It's about how much pain you can absorb. How many times you can hit the mat, bloody and dazed, and still get up. That's where glory is forged,' and you know what?" he ran at the man, "I didn't understand it 'til right now," he tackled Kodiak and started slamming his body against the bleachers, the goal posts, and finally threw him against the fence. He then made his way to Kodiak as he was about to black out, "But now I know I can take anything the world has to throw at me, 'cause I'm the Blob, and I hit things. It's what I do, and I'm damn good at it," he flicked him in the forehead and Kodiak was rendered unconscious.

-Meanwhile at the Brotherhood House-

Regan was thrown into the garden and Martinique smirked at her.

Martinique spit out some blood, "Your husband isn't here to save you, it's just my fist making contact with your face repeatedly at a high velocity," she bent down to examine her sister, "Got any last words baby sister?"

Regan smirked and reached behind her, "I learned to fight dirty," she then smashed a potted plant over her sister's head and smiled as she stumbled into unconsciousness.

-Meanwhile in Bayville Shopping Center-

Todd had broken a parking meter out of the ground and tried to use it to cover some of his vital points. He had a few spikes lodged in his back and a throwing star in his chest. He had finally led Janos into a narrow alley.

Janos smirked, "Nice idea kid, but my powers work even better in closed space."

Todd nodded, "Yeah but I've been watching you yo," he then leapt off the wall and into the other wall, narrowly dodging the onslaught that came his way. He then leapt right over Janos' head and slammed the parking meter on the top of his head, "You can't shoot up ya star throwing freak." He tossed the meter to the ground and began limping back to the Brotherhood house.

-A few minutes later at the Brotherhood House-

The X-Van drove into the driveway only to be confronted by Lance and the rest of the bloody and bruised Brotherhood.

Scott was the first to confront them, "What's going on Alvers? What are you and your friends up to?"

Before Lance could speak Anna stepped in front of them, "You're stepping on mah operation Scott."

Logan then stepped forward, "Stripes go home you don't know what's going on."

Anna didn't give an inch, "Last tahme ah check it was mah job to find out."

Scott shook his head, "You came here alone? With so many mutants floating around, you came here alone."

Logan shook his head, "Pretty smart."

Scott quickly turned to Logan, "What?"

Logan smirked, "We're surrounded."

Scott finally looked around to see Sam behind the van, Amara and Warren to his left, and Bobby and Laura to his right, "Fine we'll go but don't let them take advantage of you."

Anna watched as they left the driveway, she turned to Lance and he tensed, ready for another fight, "Tell Pietro ah need to see him," He only nodded, as she took her team and they flew away.

-A few minutes later in the old Sentinel Factory-

Sinister laughed long and heartedly at the speed demon, but Pietro never shifted from his serious gaze.

Sinister shook his head, "And what does one who's only power is speed expect to do against one who has more power than Xavier?"

The second he finished his sentenced he was now on the ground with wide eyes clutching his horribly dislocated and fractured jaw, "That so?" Sinister examined the boy carefully and noticed the duffle bag was now empty, "In the time it took you to hit the ground, I freed my nephews and took them back to their mother, and in the time it took you to realized your jaw is located on the side of your head, I littered your lab with plastic explosives," he gestured towards the duffle bag.

Sinister glared at him anger dripping from his pores, and to Pietro's surprised he snapped his jaw back into socket, "You've made a grave mistake coming here boy."

"Oh I beg to differ," he then kicked Sinister in the chest thoroughly shattering his sternum, "Your first mistake was attacking my friends, your second mistake was kidnapping my nephews, and your biggest mistake was trying to blow me up!" He would punctuate each mistake with another kick.

Sinister laughed, "What do you hope to accomplish with only super speed? I can heal from any wound," he reached out his hand and ensnared Pietro in telekinesis, "And I can attack you from a distance."

Pietro laughed from his new perspective several feet above the ground, "I've spent my whole life holding back trying to protect the people around me. Friends, family, strangers, I'm not a murderer, but you..." he began moving at supersonic speeds and actually broke Sinister's hold, "I'm not holding back on you, you're going to see just what super speed can do to a body that isn't prepared for it," as soon as he finished his sentence Sinister was on the ground again and now covered in bruises and blood, "I just hit you seven hundred and thirty-four times," Pietro smirked, "And in the time it took you to look up at me," his eyes start to glow blue, "I've made sure my brothers were wiping the floor with your stooges," Pietro then held out a remote, "And by the time the signal reaches the explosives I'll be with the girl I love," Pietro smirked, "You'll probably survive this blast but hey I don't really care. I've made my point and you know to never cross the Brotherhood again."

Pietro then set off the explosives and was gone before the first one even went off. Sinister was left in complete shock, "No!"

-A few minutes later in the Mansion's dining room-

Charles looked at both teams with anger. After they had come back he had called both squads into the dining room to recount what happened that night.

Charles sighed, "Scott I gave you a direct order to investigate what happened tonight," he then shifted his gaze to Anna, "And I told you to stay in the mansion."

Before either teen could issue an apology or angry rant in Anna's case a strong gust of wind blew threw the mansion and several floorboards shattered into splinters. After the initial chaos there stood Pietro Django Maximoff. But something was odd, his eyes were still glowing blue and his body seemed to be a blur even as he stood completely still.

Anna reached out her hand, "Pietro…"


	9. Still Here

Anna's face softened considerably upon seeing the state of her love. She tried to close the gap but Hank used his simian agility to place himself in front of the southern belle.

Anna glared at Hank, "The hell are ya doin' Hank? Pietro needs help."

Hank looked sternly at the young woman, "And so will you if you decide to touch him."

Anna's, as well as the rest of the occupants of the room, face shifted into confusion, "And whah's that?"

Hank looked over his shoulder at the blurred speed demon, "Look at him," her eyes grew wide with concern, "He's trapped in supersonic speeds. We can barely see him."

Anna began challenging Hank's strength, "That still don't answer whah ah can't touch him."

Being easily overpowered, Hank ducked under and around her to grab her in a make shift bear hug, "Simple Physics my dear. For example, hypothetically speaking of course, if an object traveling at the speed of sound, that's roughly seven hundred and sixty-nine miles per hour, were to come in contact with something moving, at best, fifteen miles per hour, would result in the latter being obliterated by the faster object," she tried to escape but Hank's leverage proved superior, "Now think about Pietro's powers," her eyes went wide, "He is exponentially faster than the speed of sound."

She finally settled down and Hank let her go, "Then what do we do?"

Hank reached for Charles' pen and a notebook that had been left on the table. He scribbled something down and then showed it to Pietro. Then in the blink of an eye he was gone and so where several more floorboards. Hank carefully began walking down the hall, "We meet him in the lab."

-A few minutes later in the med lab-

Anna, Laura, and Charles' entire staff walked into the room. Hank led the way and smiled at the boy. He was still a blur but he was staring at a mangled stool.

Anna looked at the scene, "What happened?"

Hank smiled, "He tried to sit down."

Ororo stared sheepishly at the teen, "Will he be all right?"

Hank slipped on some gloves and his lab coat, "Of course, I know exactly how to stabilize the boy," he opened a small refrigerator and pulled out a familiar blue sample.

Anna nodded in realization, "And that's how ya plan on doin' it?"

Laura stepped closer to the vials, "What are those going to do to him?" Anna processed Laura's concern.

Hank began scribbling on a notepad and presented it to Pietro, "This little liquid will neutralize any mutant's powers for a short amount of time," Hank held the vial high and began pouring it out, and to everyone's amazement, Pietro was directly under it ingesting every drop, "My theory is that because he remained motionless for so long, 'jumping' into his supersonic speed caused his body to become stuck in that state thus not allowing him to slow down."

Laura peeked an eyebrow at the Doc, "Can you say that in English?"

Logan leaned against the wall, "His transmission's stuck in high gear." Laura nodded in conformation.

Pietro then fell to his knees on the floor; both Anna and Laura were by his side in an instant, "I never… want to… go that fast… again," he spoke gasping for air in between words.

Charles wheeled himself forward, "Pietro tell me what happened tonight? Why were there so many active mutant signatures?"

Pietro slipped the top of his uniform off and let it hang around his waste. He was sweating profusely, his hair was tangled, and he looked exhausted, "Read my mind."

Charles saw the seriousness in the boys eyes and began to concentrate, "I understand, Hank Anna stay with him," he signaled his staff to follow but then paused, "Laura you may stay with the boy as well."

Hank scooped up the boy and placed him on a gurney, "Without his mutation to hold his body together we're going to have to put him on an I.V," he reached for his equipment and immediately got to work, "He's probably dehydrating as we speak," he eyed the girls for a moment, "Can I trust the two of you to watch him instead of keeping at each other's throats?"

Both girls nodded as he ventured to the back of the lab.

Pietro smiled as he looked at the disgruntled woman, "Guess this looks bad huh?"

Anna's face softened at how slowly he spoke, "It's fahne," she leaned in to kiss his forehead but something wasn't right. Her eyes shot open and Pietro passed out.

Laura stared at the fleet-footed teen then back to the Goth, "How did you absorb him?"

Anna began to twitch, "His skin… isn't thick anymore… Dr. McCoy musta made this batch stronger," she paused, "He knows about Piotr… he knows everythin' that happened around him over the last month… who's Sinister?"

As she finished that word, Hank leapt by her side, "What? What did you just say?"

Anna looked at him in shock, "Sinister?"

Hank looked positively ghostly, "A name do you have a name as well?"

Anna thought for a moment, "Essex, the same gah who delivered Jean's babies."

Hank shifted into fury, "That monster delivered the children? Why wasn't I informed?"

Anna shook her head again, "What's the big deal? Pietro blew up his lab."

Hank buried his face into his hands, "It's all making so much sense now," he darted towards the doors, "I have to go," Hank left the girls in an utter state of shock.

Laura turned to Anna, "Since you know everything he knows…" she paused for a moment, "Can you tell me what he thought about that night?"

Anna studied Laura carefully, and with her newfound knowledge she was no longer a threat, "He enjoyed your tahme together…" she trailed off.

Laura looked hopeful, "But?"

Anna sighed, "But he wants meh."

Laura nodded and just stared at the speedster.

-A few minutes later in Charles' Office-

Hank hurried into the room, which was occupied by Logan, Ororo, and Charles.

Hank stared at Charles, "Why wasn't I informed of the doctor that helped Jean with her birth."

Charles looked puzzled; "It seemed irrelevant at the time, what's wrong?"

Hank rubbed his eyes with his thumb and forefinger, "Dr. Nathaniel Essex was a colleague, he always spoke of a new race that would reveal itself in the coming years, that race of course was us. And as you know I did what I could to stifle his findings, but he was rather resourceful…" he paused, "Mutant experiments, he would capture low level mutants and augment them, taking samples and seeing just how far their ability could be taken before the body couldn't handle it. He was found out but not before experimenting on himself, turning himself into Mister Sinister."

Charles nodded, "Pietro believes that he's defeated this 'Sinister.' And I believe the boy is correct. Nothing short of Logan's healing ability could ever survive such an intense and focused blast as that," he paused for a moment, "Hank if you would visit the Brotherhood Boarding House, there are a few individuals that need your attention."

Hank nodded and made his way out of the room. Logan stepped forward, "Is the kid really that powerful Chuck?"

Charles sighed, "I'm afraid so. He could very well rival his father in destructive capabilities," he steepled his hands, "Logan go downtown to the sentinel factory, see if you can find anything."

Logan nodded, "An explosion that big musta attracted a lot of attention by now," he made his way out of the room as well.

Ororo stepped forward, "What should our next move be Charles?"

Charles paused for a moment, "We mobilize all three squads."

-Several hours later in the med lab-

Pietro woke up with a jolt. He was now wearing his pajama bottoms again. He wondered how they got a hold of them but then remembered he had them in the duffle bag.

He pulled the I.V. drip out of his arm and slowly got to his feet. He looked around the room and realized he was now alone. His knees wobbled and refused to do his bidding. He stabilized himself against the wall and made his way out of the room.

Once in the hallway he could hear Kurt giving his team orders before they went into the Danger Room. Pietro attempted to use his speed, but he remained slow moving, "What I wouldn't give for my healing factor."

He finally got to the elevator and made his grand escape.

-A few minutes later-

Pietro slipped out of the laundry room, his uniform safely tucked into his duffle bag. He made his way down the hall as quietly as he could but nothing is ever easy for a member of the Brotherhood. His stomach began to growl.

Pietro looked down the hall to the kitchen door, "I've been sucking food for a month, I think it's time for something to chew on."

Pietro slipped into the kitchen, a lot slower than he would have liked, and closed the gap between himself and the fridge. He opened it and immediately began rummaging for something that Kitty hadn't put her personal touch on. After about a minute of sifting he finally found it, a pile of bar-b-q chicken.

He opened the clear plastic wrapping and began devouring a chicken leg. He was so engrossed with eating that he didn't notice the door opening and someone sneaking up behind him.

"Hands up Quicksilver," Pietro turned around to see Samuel Guthrie standing there.

Pietro eyed the country boy, "Well you've done some growing up since last time I saw you."

It was true no longer was Sam a lanky and clumsy teen, he know rivaled St. John in size. His hair was slightly swept back and spiky in the back. Pietro attributed this to his flying abilities, much in the same way his speed swept his own hair back, "You're supposed to be in bed."

"Yeah if Anna caught you with us, she'd kill all three of us," Pietro looked to his side to see Bobby Drake barefoot shirtless and only wearing a pair of cargo shorts. His hair was short and spiky, and he was just as big as Sam.

"Oh it's definitely to late for that."


	10. The Pursuit

All three boys were now paralyzed in fear. Each one afraid to even move, considering the slightest movement would bring down a wrath none of them were prepared to face.

"Don't everyone give meh a stupid excuse at once," Anna glared at each boy in the kitchen.

Bobby tried to smile innocently, "Well you see Anna, Pietro here was…"

"Hungry," Sam blurted out.

Bobby snapped his fingers, "Right, and we…"

"Brought him here so he could eat," Sam smiled.

Bobby smiled as well, "Yeah and we were just about to take him back to the med lab, when…"

Anna slapped her forehead, "Mah second in command and the most powerful person on mah squad are complete and utter idiots," she examined the speedster, "Am ah gonna have to drag you kickin' and screamin' or are ya gonna go peacefully?"

Pietro only smirked, "Catch me if you can," he then darted past the table and out of the kitchen.

Anna shook her head, "If ya don't find him, ah'm gonna mail ya to the middle of the Sahara," both boys nodded and took off after the speedster, Anna then stepped out of the back door and flew off.

-A few seconds later-

Pietro darted around corners, hopped over tables, and side stepped other students.

"Hey get back here," Bobby yelled out in hot pursuit of Pietro.

Sam just looked at the frosty teen, "He ain't so fast."

Pietro furrowed his brow and flipped over a table, thoroughly tripping his pursuers.

Sam slammed a fist onto the ground, "Do ya know what desert heat does to my blast-field?"

Bobby snorted, "Your blast-field? What about me? I'm gonna melt!"

Pietro smirked he was home free, the door was wide open and he was pretty sure he could sprint all the way back to the Boarding House, but as we all know any member of the Brotherhood will experience serious difficulties in life, on almost an hourly basis.

He was properly sent to the ground, as he had run straight into Anna's extended arm. His eyes softened and he appeared to be depressed. Anna looked at him with a softness in her eyes "What's wrong? Ah didn't hurt ya did ah?"

Pietro shook his head, "You have no idea what it feels like to be this slow."

-Several minutes later in the med lab-

Depression quickly shifted into anger, Pietro now laid on the gurney a fresh I.V. in his arm. Every time someone tried to get within five feet of him he would quickly yell at him or her until they left him perfectly alone. After all, he was Pietro Maximoff, and Pietro Maximoff did not need help, he just needed his speed back. None of them could truly know what he was going through at all. Not everyone was as afraid to approach him as he would have liked, and he did tolerate the presence of a select few.

He looked around the room and focused on a select few, thinking in order to keep from being heard by certain individuals with super sensitive hearing. He paused on Hank, 'He's a good guy, he'll figure out what's going on and I'll be half way to China in no time…' he smirked, 'Literally.'

Next on the list of acceptable people was Logan, 'No one ever treated the Brotherhood like equals until we moved in. Logan taught us all kinds of things, fishing, the proper way to take care of a hangover, and how to turn a man's skull into a coffee mug. I guess we kind of remind him of himself, a bunch of misunderstood outcasts with bad attitudes.'

He then shifted his attention to Ororo, 'One word, kind.'

He looked to the other side of the room and caught Laura's attention, 'Laura… if Wolverine hadn't interrupted our date then maybe we could have been more. But I guess you'll have to settle for being whatever it is we are right now…' he trailed off.

Finally he looked at Anna, 'Anna the love of my life,' he sighed, 'You're probably the only person that could possibly fathom what I'm going through. You knew what it was like to be faster than the wind, to be on par with a bolt of lightning,' he smiled, 'You're the only one that knows…'

Exhaustion was taking over Pietro's frail body, "You can't keep me here, they'll come looking for me. May Thor have mercy on you because the Brotherhood can't spell mercy," and with that he slipped into unconsciousness.

-A few hours later-

Logan still sat in his chair across from the silver-haired teen, while Hank was busy theorizing why the concoction hadn't worn off yet.

Logan grunted, "Hank, why's the kid taking his power loss so bad?"

Hank looked up at the gruff Canadian, "It seems that every time we think about Pietro, all we take into account is his speed," he paused, "But in reality his true mutation is to be the perfect 'machine' built for that speed," Logan nodded signaling for Hank to continue, "We know about his dense skin and bones, his tendons have the tinsel strength of titanium, and that fatigue is only a seven letter word to him."

Logan turned back to the teen, "But?"

Hank smiled, "But it just doesn't stop there, it also involves perspective, things that would take us hours upon hours to complete would take him seconds, his mind processes information so fast it makes it seem as if he's impulsive, while in his perspective he's actually thought about it for several hours."

Logan was actually amazed, "Anything else?"

Hank nodded, "One last thing, there is no switch to turn his powers on, he must actually will himself to slow down so he can interact with us. Although I do theorize that he has 'gears' like in a transmission, but first gear is still faster than we could ever hope to comprehend."

-Meanwhile at the Brotherhood House-

Lance sat in front of the television next to the phone. He sat in his armchair and had an icepack on his nose; it wasn't broken, just bruised and horribly sore.

Lance flipped the channel, "And here we have the Jones'."

The reporter put her microphone up to the man, "Oh those kids are good boys, real polite…" his wife began whispering into his ear, "What! The Brotherhood kids? Those kids are freakin' nuts. They blew up my mailbox, I hope they fry!"

Lance glared as they showed footage of another neighbor, "Yeah them boys ain't right in the head. I saw them tryin' to steal cable once and they electrocuted that dog of theirs. But the damn thing just shook it off, it ain't natural."

Lance's eyes became tiny slits of anger as they showed more footage, "Well what people seem to forget about those boys, is that they defeated a planetary threat, known as Apocalypse," Lance smirked and turned off the television.

He leaned his head back; "Mystique should get an Oscar for that one."

Wanda walked down the stairs, a few bandages around her shoulder and chest, "Are you going to school Lance?"

Lance looked up at her, "No me and the boys are calling in sick until we find Pietro."

Wanda nodded, "Well I'm going to school on the off chance he actually shows up."

Lance sighed, "Be careful, we didn't keep track of any of those Marauders, so they could still be around."

Wanda acknowledged him by walking out of the house.

As soon as the door closed the rest of the Brotherhood boys and Regan came down the stairs, they were all heavily bandaged and in some case still bleeding but as we all know the Brotherhood can't spell pain, "What's the plan yo? Walk around town 'til we find him?"

Lance got out of his chair and examined his merry crew, "Basically, but Freddy I need you to go with Wanda, she says she's fine but she might need someone to watch her back," Freddy nodded and grabbed his school bag out of the closet, "Johnny I need you to go downtown, and Todd you're gonna work the old Acolyte base."

Both teens nodded in agreement and took for the door leaving only Lance and Regan, "And where will we search honey?"

Lance reached for the end table and opened up a bottle of pills, he popped one into his mouth and swallowed it dry, "We're gonna search everywhere between here and the Mansion."

-A couple of hours later on the streets of Bayville-

Lance had just started his search for his lost comrade. While walking along the street, he had grabbed an innocent pedestrian and thrown him into a wall, thoroughly embarrassing Regan to no end.

Regan looked over at her husband and noticed that he had pulled out his wallet and flipped it over. "Have you seen this guy?" the man shook his head no and Lance let him go.

Regan peeked an eyebrow in interest, "Lance, you have a picture of Pietro in your wallet?"

Lance studied her face for a moment, "Yeah, why?"

Regan smiled, "No reason, I just think it's sweet," she paused for a moment, "Am I in there?"

Lance gave her The Patented Brotherhood Smile of Innocence, "You will be."

Now to say Regan was pissed would be like saying Wanda is the poster child for anger management, but luckily for Lance his com. Link was going off.

Lance clicked the com. Link on his belt and Freddy's voice came out from it, "Lance! Lance!"

Lance smiled, "It's okay Freddy I can hear you, just calm down."

Freddy's breathing could be heard over the link, "I overheard some X-geeks say they had Pietro locked up in that basement of theirs…" Lance face shifted to extreme anger, and he released a powerful tremor, "Lance? Lance are you there?"

Lance cleared his throat, "I'm here Freddy, stick close to Wanda and call Johnny and Todd home, me and Regan have an errand to run, but when we get back, suit up. We have a brother to save."

"You got it buddy," happiness was evident in Freddy's voice, "We'll be home in a couple of hours."

Lance severed the connection, "Lance? Honey where are we going?"

Lance began walking in the opposite direction, "We're gonna go get some leverage."


	11. Leave Me Behind

-A few hours later at the edge of the estate-

Pietro stood at the edge of the cliff, his arms fully extended, and his eyes were closed tight. He felt the wind rush passed him and he envisioned running across the lake and towards the ocean, around the world.

Not far behind him were Logan and Anna. Logan stood guard in case he tried to run, but Anna was there for a more morbid response for the ex-speed-demon; she was ready to leap into action if he jumped.

Pietro smiled as the wind wiped his hair to the side, "When I run there's no sound."

Anna peeked an eyebrow, "What do ya mean?"

Pietro put his arms down and turned on his heel to face Anna. Sapphire met emerald, "I can out run sound; it just can't keep up. So, my eardrums have nothing to register," he smiled, "I couldn't hear them cry, they were in my arms, and I couldn't hear them at all…" he trailed off.

Logan sniffed the air, "You got company speedy," he then took into a sprint towards the mansion.

Anna looked towards the mansion, "Looks lahke they fahnally came for ya," as she turned back, Pietro leapt off the cliff. She didn't think, she didn't pause, she didn't hesitate; she just leapt after him. She quickly closed the gap and wrapped her arms around him and flew him back to the estate, "What the hell were ya thinkin'?"

Pietro smiled, "You said you'd wait for me… but I don't want you to wait," he placed his hands on her shoulders, "Will you be my girl?"

-Meanwhile at the Mansion gates-

There stood the Brotherhood: Avalanche, Pyro, the Blob, Toad, the Scarlet Witch, Mystique, Lady Mastermind, Deuce the Devil Dog, and the Living Mummy. They paused in front of the gate.

Lance stepped forward, "We're about to fight twenty-one mutants; if Pietro fights with us that means we have to fight two each. Most of us are going up against loved ones, but remember we're here to rescue a fallen brother and take him home," the other Brotherhood members nodded, "Don't hold back, and don't stop moving forward," he then eyed Freddy, "And whatever you do don't let the leverage get away," Lance's arms began to shake violently, "Hit 'em hard, hit 'em fast!" he extended his arms and released the pent up seismic vibrations, causing the gates to fly off their hinges and land near the fountain; Wanda immediately teleported away.

As the gates landed several X-Men ran out of the mansion, some uniformed, others still in their school attire.

Todd began running and leaping up the driveway, "Good distance!"

N'Kantu drew his swords, and he and Deuce ran into action. Deuce tackled Jaime resulting in fifteen Jaimes being spawned, Rahne then leapt onto his back. N'Kantu slashed at Warren and Kurt but Kurt was too agile and Warren took to the sky. Todd ducked under Roberto's punches and leapt over Tabby's cherry bombs. Freddy was having a rather difficult time; he would root himself to the ground so Sam wouldn't send him flying, but then he'd have to go into a run to shrug off Bobby's icy assault. St. John was torn; instead of attacking directly, he would simple redirect Amara's flame attacks to try and singe Kitty, but she simply phased through it. Lance on the other hand, took great pleasure in burying Piotr and getting into an old-fashioned fistfight with Scott.

-Meanwhile inside the Mansion-

Regan and Raven had slipped passed the others in order to make sure reinforcements didn't show up. As of right now they had Jubilation and Ray sitting on the floor with their backs against each other with a substantial amount of drool coming from their mouths. Both women ventured upstairs.

Raven looked up as she heard a familiar 'Skint,' but was surprised to see only Laura, "Well if it isn't Wolverine-light," she smirked, "You honestly think you can play with the big kids now?"

Laura growled at her and lunged for the kill, Raven still had her arm in a sling but it did little to slow her down; she easily sidestepped the teen and placed a boot across her face. Laura quickly shook it off and tried to use a series of clawed kicks. Raven dodged those as well and finally delivered the finishing blow. She tossed the young girl over the banister and she crashed through a table impaling her on one of the legs. Just as blood began to trickle from her mouth Logan made his appearance in the room.

Raven rolled her eyes, "Go find him," she then leapt over the banister and landed on Logan's unsuspecting body.

-A few minutes later in Jean's room-

The twins' lay in their crib, both sound asleep. While their mothers lay atop the bed spooning.

Wanda pulled Jean closer to her body, "Are you sure about this?"

Wanda had her arms around Jean, and Jean rested her hand on Wanda's arm, "It would be mutually assured destruction if we were to fight," she furrowed her brow, "What are you doing?"

Wanda sighed, "In close quarters like this, I've always been able to sense my brother, but I can't 'feel' him anywhere."

-Meanwhile at the edge of the estate-

Pietro stood across from Anna staring into her gorgeous eyes.

He smirked his classic Quicksilver smirk, "What do you say?"

Anna's face softened, "Of course."

Pietro nodded, "They're really fighting hard aren't they?"

Anna pulled him into a hug, "Ya want to fahght?"

Pietro smiled, "No, I'm happy right now."

-Meanwhile in the living room-

Logan and Raven had destroyed practically every piece of furniture in the room. They were too evenly matched. For a well-built man Logan was surprisingly fast, and although Raven possessed a small frame, she was frighteningly strong.

Raven had both of Logan's arms wrapped in her left arm. Logan glared at her, "Ya can't keep this up darlin', especially with that broken arm."

Raven smirked, "That's the key difference between us Logan," she removed her arm from its sling and altered her body to give it some armored platting, "I know how to deceive," she then began pummeling him with her mace-like appendage.

Until she was thrown back by a gust of wind, "Logan I suggest you tend to your daughter."

Logan got up and walked to Laura's side, to pull her off of the table.

-Meanwhile outside-

The Brotherhood were doing their best, but numbers and fatigue were beginning to set in. The X-Men had the luxury of rotating in and out of the fight giving them time to recuperate, while the Brotherhood boys were forced to give everything they had at a constant rate.

But the Brotherhood was well known for their Brotherhood luck.

Lance smirked and slammed his fists into the ground, but what he didn't count on was Piotr muscling his way past it and running straight into his shield.

Kitty phased up from the ground and disarmed St. John of his flamethrowers; he reached for his pouch but noticed it was empty as well, "Oh hell!"

Logan ran into the fray, caught Todd's tongue and tied it in a knot.

Lance and Scott were grappling, "What do you want, Alvers!"

Lance pushed with his superior strength, "World domination, a meatball sub, and… oh yeah my friend!"

Scott shifted his body weight and used Lance's momentum against him and threw him to the ground, "He's sick! He needs help!" He then turned to the fight and fired a concentrated optic blast into the ground that separated the X-Men and the Brotherhood, "We're not always wrong, Alvers," he reached for his visor again, "Anna, bring him out."

After a few minutes of waiting, Anna and Pietro walked out of the front door. Lance was astonished to see his comrade in shambles, the rest of the Brotherhood probably couldn't see it due to sheer joy but to Lance it was like a great flash of light, he was ravaged by fatigue.

Charles and Regan followed the couple; "Mrs. Alvers has informed me of some leverage," Lance nodded at Freddy and he produced a squirming bag. He reached into it and pulled out a beaten Forge. Charles nodded, "I trust he will make a full recovery?"

Lance finally got up and dusted himself off, "What did you do to him?"

Logan immediately stepped in front of the rock tumbler, "Back off kid we saved his life!" The rest of the Brotherhood was ready to leap across the crevice and continue their onslaught.

Charles examined the young man very closely, "Pietro needs to remain here, and we must monitor his vitals."

Anna walked Pietro closer to his friend, "Don't I get a say in this?"

Logan unsheathed his claws, and growled out, "Look at him he can barely stand, what could you do for him?"

In true Brotherhood fashion Lance was now backed by his comrades in this shouting match, "He needs to be at home with his friends," he demanded.

"Hey!" everyone turned to a gasping Pietro, "Don't talk about me… like I'm not here…" he swallowed a lump in his throat, "I don't have my powers anymore…"

Lance ground his teeth and immediately glared at Charles, "What the hell happened to him?" every word was punctuated with a small tremor.

Hank finally made his presence known, "His mutation was burning out his body. Because he had not eaten solid food in a month's time, coupled with the fact that he had gotten 'stuck' in supersonic speed, his body was eating itself for nutrition."

Raven eyed the ape-man, "Will he ever get his powers back?"

Hank looked to the ground, "His body has been heavily damaged. I assume once the damage has been repaired and he has eaten several nutritious meals, he will one day be the resident speedster."

Pietro sighed, "Then here's to one day."

-A few hours later in the Med Lab-

Pietro sat in his gurney and picked at the slice of turkey in front of him. He sighed as the memory of the Brotherhood leaving the grounds hanging their heads in defeat rolled into his mind.

Pietro picked up a book Anna had brought him for his English class. Pietro snorted at the fact that the school expected him to do all the work he missed, if he still had his speed it wouldn't have been a problem. But as we all know problems follow the Brotherhood around like stray dogs.

Pietro opened the book, "Of Mice and Men. Moral of the story, dreams can fall apart in a flash."


	12. Needs Seasoning

-Next week in the sub-basement-

Anna walked down the hall wearing her normal school attire. A backpack was carelessly slung over one shoulder. She made her way to the med lab and walked in as soon as the automated doors allowed her to.

As she walked in she noticed Pietro flip over a packet and toss it on a near by hospital tray. She then examined the tray and noticed that he had completed most of his assignments.

She took a seat by his side, "Ya haven't slept in a week."

Pietro smiled, exhaustion apparent in his eyes, "I don't have time to sleep."

Anna shook her head and gathered up his work, she slipped it into her backpack and then stood up, "Come on you're gonna go to sleep if ah have to beat ya into unconsciousness."

His eyelids were heavy, he leaned back into the bed and almost instantly closed his eyes, "I love you, Anna."

She pulled the blanket over his chest and ran her gloved hand along his arm, "Ah love ya too, Pietro. Now please go to sleep."

She slowly left the room. As soon as the doors closed Pietro's eyes shot open and he grabbed his unfinished assignments off the tray, "I'll have plenty of time to sleep when I'm dead."

-Several hours later at the Boarding House-

Regan walked into the house after a long day of school, it seemed that every time she adjusted her backpack it would slam into her bruised lower back. She ventured into the living room and saw the Brotherhood boys and Wanda sitting their watching T.V.

She examined them closely, "They have been like that since that day at the mansion," she turned around and was now face to bandage with N'Kantu.

She let her bag slide to the floor, "Why don't they have hobbies? I don't think I've seen Lance play with his car in a week."

N'Kantu shrugged, "I do not know the answer to your question, although I shall say they are a complicated group," he then made his way back to his basement.

Regan sighed and walked into the living room, "Lance why don't you take the boys out and have some fun?"

Lance didn't turn his attention from the T.V. "I'd rather light myself on fire and run through a meth lab naked."

Before Regan could respond St. John chimed in, "Trust me mate, it ain't as glorious as it sounds."

Regan ducked back into the hallway, and was thoroughly surprised to see Raven standing at the bottom step in her bathrobe, "You'll never get them to do anything if you let John confuse you like that."

Regan peeked an eyebrow, "He does that on purpose?"

Raven smirked at the young woman, "Of course. He's insane not dumb," she walked past her and stopped just short of the living room, "You're a woman start acting like it and make them play your game," she walked into the room, "Numb-nuts! Fruit-loop! Short-bus! Fred!" each boy leapt to attention and stared at the shap-shifter, "I'm kicking you all out of the house, for…" she paused for a moment, "Four hours. Do something productive with your time!"

The boys got up and ran out of the house without so much as a peep, "Wow that's amazing. What do you do for Wanda?" Regan asked.

Raven smiled, "Dealing with Wanda is simple," she reached into her bathrobe pocket and pulled out her checkbook. She handed Wanda a couple of twenty's, "Here go enjoy your idiot free day," she turned back to Regan, "And take her with you."

Wanda got up and grabbed Regan's hand, dragging her out of the house, "But I have homework!"

-An hour later at Bayville Zoo-

All five Brotherhood Boys were now back in action, but of course Hank would not allow Pietro to leave the mansion without a chaperone. So the 'lucky' person to fill the position was none other than Ororo.

Lance, St. John, Ororo, and Pietro were sitting at the monkey house watching the little devils get into mischief. Then all of sudden came screams of terror.

A woman ran passed the Brotherhood, "That gorilla is going to kill him!"

A zookeeper ran by, "How did he get over the glass?"

Another zookeeper ran along side him, "I have no idea. It must be fifteen feet tall."

Lance rolled his eyes, "Todd." After a few seconds of running the Brotherhood and Ororo peered into the cage to see Todd leaping into the tree, and what appeared to be the alpha male slamming his fists into the ground.

Lance slapped his forehead, "See this is why we can't go anywhere!"

Pietro looked around, "Where's Freddy?"

All of a sudden the gorilla flew face first into the glass and slid down to the ground, thus revealing a triumphant Freddy in the enclosure, "That'll teach you to go picking on the Brotherhood!"

Lance slammed his fists onto the glass, "Freddy get out of there!" he then created a tremor that resulted in a small ramp giving Freddy enough lift to leap out of the back of the habitat.

-Several minutes later in the artic habitat-

The Brotherhood boys were now reunited, and Ororo's eye was beginning to twitch.

Pietro walked lazily behind the group, steadily replaying the message Hank gave him, 'I don't know what could be wrong. It's been a week, your body is practically perfect but your mutation refuses to manifest itself. I would like to run a few tests in the…" Pietro was thrown from his thoughts.

"Would ya look at that," St. John exclaimed pointing at the penguin tank, "Those look tasty."

Lance rolled his eyes, "You can't eat a penguin."

St. John looked at his fearless leader, "Course not, you gotta season 'em first."

Ororo pinched the bridge of her nose in a vain attempt at stifling an inevitable headache, "Henry, will fry for this."

Todd hoped to her side, "What was that yo?"

She feigned a smile, "Nothing child," she smiled at the Brotherhood boys, "How about a light lunch?" They all nodded in agreement.

St. John smirked, "Sure oih'll get it Sheila. You blokes sit down, and leave it all up to ole Johnny."

-A few minutes later at a picnic area-

The Brotherhood and Ororo had been sitting patiently waiting for St. John to show up again. Their stomachs were growling and Todd resisted the urge to peg flies out of the air.

Their patience was finally rewarded when St. John showed up smiling with a lavish bird on a silver platter.

Lance's eyes went wide, "Wow this is amazing."

Pietro nodded in agreement, "Yeah I didn't know they had food this fancy at the Zoo."

St. John smiled, "Dig in mates."

Everyone was served and enjoying the meal, "It don't taste like turkey yo."

Freddy peeked an eyebrow, "Yeah… it's not chicken either."

Ororo dabbed her lips with her napkin, "It's very juicy though. What is it?"

St. John smiled a large toothy grin, "Well it's…"

A zookeeper ran by, thoroughly cutting off the Aussie. "Someone's stolen a penguin and I found a makeshift fire-pit in one of the trails!" he yelled into his walkie-talkie.

Lance stared at the Aussie for what seemed like an eternity, "You're right, they do taste good seasoned." The other Brotherhood members agreed, but Ororo was a bit pale.

"She okay mate?" St. John asked.

-A few hours later-

Ororo had decided to take Pietro back to the mansion less they end up in jail or on PITA's most wanted list. The Brotherhood boys on the other hand were currently hiding in a bush.

Lance peeked out of said bush to see the various police officers searching the area, "Yeah the Brotherhood going to the Zoo is just a breaking news story waiting to happen."

St. John shook his head, "It's not moih fault mate."

Lance rolled his eyes and pointed at St. John, "Stole and ate a penguin," then at Freddy, "Savagely beat a gorilla," and finally pointed at Todd, "You covered the pretzel girl in slime!"

Todd crossed his arms, "How are we gonna get out of this?"

Lance smirked; "The only way I know how…" he looked towards the flamingo pen, "After we break something." He threw up his arms and sent his seismic vibrations out to the pen and released the flamingos, "Quick everyone to the Challenger." The Brotherhood boys leapt into the car and Lance smirked into the review mirror as the flamingos were quickly overpowering the police force, "Let's go home boys."

-Meanwhile in the Med Lab-

Pietro sat in his bed with his hands behind his head and his legs crossed. He rather enjoyed hanging out with his comrades. The doors opened and he smirked as he noticed who walked into the room.

Ororo stomped over to Hank, "You sent me to the Zoo with the Brotherhood!"

Hank smiled, "Now, now I'm sure it wasn't that bad."

She swiftly grabbed the remote and turned on the T.V. "And here we are with the Zoo Manager. Please tell us what transpired today."

The zoo Manager held his hat in his hand, "Well some big kid beat up a gorilla, a foreign kid broke into the penguin habitat, stole one, and apparently ate it, a small green kid poured slime on my best employees, and finally a freak earthquake set all of my flamingos loose."

The reporter pulled the microphone back to herself, "The work of vandals? Maybe hoodlums? Or quite possibly the Brotherhood has come out of retirement and caused several thousands of dollars in property damage. There are currently no eyewitnesses to verify any of these claims. This is Miranda Veracruz de la Jolla Cardinal, signing off."

Ororo turned off the T.V. "Well?"

Hank cleared his throat, "No one could have forseen these events," Hank sighed, "Although I'm sure the Brotherhood can be a handful."

Ororo rolled her eyes, "Handful is an understatement," she murmured. She then turned right around and walked out of the lab.

Hank smiled, "Well Pietro I'm sure it wasn't that bad."

Pietro nodded, "Of course not, the penguin was actually very tender."

This comment left Hank with a peeked eyebrow on confusion, because he couldn't decern if Pietro was kidding or not.


	13. Quicksilver

**A/N: **Well this is the last chapter. My brothers and sisters I really enjoyed writing for you so, I hope you've enjoyed reading it. Now it's time to answer the hard questions: Will Pietro get his powers back? What exactly does Raven do for a living, and why haven't we seen much of her? Are the Brotherhood boys really oblivious to their surroundings?

**Disclaimer:** Please do not try this at home the Brotherhood boys are professionally trained… idiots.

-Later that night on the streets of New York-

A man walked out of his apartment building. Winter would be coming soon. He clutched his jacket close to his body. He walked into the empty street and stopped at the sight of a man in a long trench coat.

The man approached him, "Gabriel I am of need of your assistance."

The man now known simply as Gabriel kneeled, "What do you require my Lord?"

The man smiled, and his eyes began to glow with a pure white light, "I'm sure you've sensed the disturbance," Gabriel nodded in conformation, "There has been an… anomaly." As he finished his sentence the streetlights went out.

"Oh don't sugar coat it," Gabriel turned with angered eyes to another man in a black trench coat, "Someone has gone against your will."

Gabriel sneered at the old man, "Why are you here?" He removed his jacket to display massive golden wings.

The old man smirked, "I have sensed this disturbance as well."

Gabriel was seething in anger, he materialized a flaming sword from thin air and lunged at the man, "You will die this night demon!"

The old man's jaw turned into crimson fangs, and his fingers elongated into crimson claws, "You dare challenge Mephisto?"

"Enough!" came a powerful voice.

Gabriel stopped in mid air and turned to see his Lord. "Your Lord understands that balance must be preserved, killing me without an heir would undo reality," Mephisto said with glee. His voice became more serious, "But this anomaly would also threaten reality."

Gabriel peered over his shoulder, "And why would you care about reality?"

Mephisto smirked, "If reality were undone then there would be nothing left to corrupt."

Gabriel glared at demon, "What would you have me do my Lord?"

The Lord nodded, "Yes, I would like you to go to Bayville, gather the anomaly and let nothing stop you."

Gabriel appeared confused, "But my Lord, you and this… demon," he spit the word out like a curse, "Each have enough power to do this yourself, why choose me?"

"You know how he is Gabriel, why get his hands dirty when he can have an angel do it for him?" Mephisto said with contempt.

Before Gabriel could move the Lord put his hand up signaling for him to remain calm, "I would not have come to you if I didn't think you were worthy."

Mephisto let out a loud cackle, "Being worthy, and being able are two different concepts."

The Lord simply ignored the demon, "You may have to unsheathe your sword against a group of mortals who call themselves the X-Men and another group of mortals who call themselves the Brotherhood."

Gabriel smirked at the irony, "Didn't those mortals… The Brotherhood obliterate your son, Mephisto?"

"There must always be balance. My son did not understand the necessity for balance." Mephisto said through clenched fangs, "He thought he could raise his army against… us, but he met with his end. My only regret is that he fell at a mortal's hand and not my own."

The Lord looked down at his most trusted angel, "Gabriel, gather information, and strike quickly and with conviction. I trust that you will return triumphant." The lord then faded into nothingness.

Mephisto stepped in front of him, "I on the other hand…" he paused for a moment, "Trust that the mortals will strip you of your wings." And with his disappearance the streetlights came on.

Gabriel sheathed his sword and put his jacket back on, "An anomaly." he took a step and heard a piece of paper crunch, he bent down to pick it up and noticed that it was a note, 'Good luck, baby killer. When they kill you, you can sit at my left hand. Your buddy, Mephisto.' Gabriel was taken a back, "The anomaly is a child?"

-The next morning in the Danger Room-

After all the other students had left for school, Hank had asked Pietro if he would be ready for an examination. After responding, Pietro was thoroughly surprised when he was handed his uniform.

Now, there he stood. Pietro Django Maximoff, once the fastest man on the entire planet. The fleet-footed teenager was now a shadow of his former self. The once proud Quicksilver was now just an ordinary man, his enhanced physique gone, his healing ability gone, and most of all his speed… gone.

He had been thinking long and hard. Did his powers make him Pietro, or did they just make Quicksilver? Was he defined by his speed, or did Pietro define the speed? After all, he was the son of Magneto and that in it self was a feat to be admired.

Pietro looked up at the control room.

"Are you ready to begin?" Hank asked through the speaker system.

Pietro only nodded. The Danger Room shifted, hurdles and poles shot out of the ground, pendulums began swaying along the path, and sections of the floor fell through.

"When ever you're ready kid," Logan voice held a hint of pity.

Pietro took his mark, and after a few moments he shot off the starting line like a rocket. Jumping hurdles, dodging poles, side stepping the pendulums, and leaping the vast crevices. He smiled, he felt like Quicksilver again… but realization slapped him in the face as he crossed the finish line. He couldn't feel that familiar buzz, and most of all he was actually winded.

"Fifty seconds flat," Logan actually sounded impressed.

"Go take a shower, then go to the lab to rest. I will be there shortly," Pietro couldn't place it but he swore there was a hint of remorse in his voice.

-Control Room-

Logan leaned against the console, "Kid's fast."

Hank nodded in agreement, "He is of Olympic level caliber."

"But it ain't good enough for him, he wants to be Quicksilver fast again," Logan said while replaying the video.

-A few minutes later in the locker room-

Pietro pulled on some sweat pants, and shifted his weight to his right leg.

He paused, "That was weird." He shifted back to his left leg, "There it is again." He took a few deep breaths, and his leg visibly twitched, "What's…" his right leg began to twitch as well, "What's happening?" the twitching didn't move or stop, it only expanded. His entire body was now twitching uncontrollably.

As he hit the floor Logan walked into the room, "Hey kid you okay in there?" Logan's eyes went wide as uncontrollable twitching evolved into violent convulsions.

-Several hours later in the Med Lab-

Pietro attempted to open his eyes, but the intense light attacked his vulnerable eyes. He quickly closed them.

"It's okay, ah'm here now," He smiled as he identified Anna's voice.

Pietro tried to open his eyes again this time with a little more success. "What happened?"

He just realized that she was holding his hand, loosely as to not shatter it with her tremendous strength. "Hank says that your body went into shock, but he can't figure out whah," she sounded calm but Pietro could see the worry in her eyes.

Seeing Anna at his side warmed Pietro's heart, he had also assumed it must be late afternoon for her to be out of school.

She handed him a glass of water and he drank from it. He smiled at her, "I have something to tell you…" he paused, "But not now."

-Meanwhile across town at the Boarding House-

The Brotherhood boys were standing in the driveway staring at Raven's new car. Each one was in awe, for none of them had ever been this close to such an exotic item.

St. John reached out to touch it but Lance slapped his hand away, "It's so shoihney mate. Whoih can't oih touch it?"

"Cause Mystique would kill you, and it takes too long to break in a new best friend," Lance stated flatly

"It's beautiful," Todd tapped Lance on the shoulder, "What is it?"

Freddy nodded, "It looks really expensive too."

Lance rubbed his chin and examined the object more closely, "It's a Lotus."

At that moment Wanda and Regan stepped outside and walked towards the group.

Wanda peeked an eyebrow, "It's a car…" She sounded unimpressed.

Regan nodded in agreement, "Makes you wonder how she got the money for it."

Lance peeked an eyebrow; "She's probably a highly paid assassin."

St. John cackled, "No way mate, she's a mercenary!"

Wanda leaned over to Regan, "What's the difference?"

"Dental," Regan stated nonchalantly.

Freddy crossed his arms, "Maybe she's the C.E.O. of some major corporation." The other Brotherhood boys broke out into laughter.

Todd leapt onto Freddy's shoulder, "Come on yo, Mystique doing something legal? She's probably a cage fighter."

"Why don't you just ask her?" Regan said pointing towards the door.

Lance eyed his wife suspiciously, "Fine I will." He walked up to the door and was instantly face to face with Raven, "Mystique?"

"What do you want Numb-nuts?" She said flatly.

Lance stood his ground and puffed out his chest, "Uh…" he said with a squeak, "What do you do for a living, that you can buy a Lotus Elise?"

Raven peeked an eyebrow, amazed that he stood his ground while the other boys were to afraid to even look her in the eyes, "I'm the new Mayor of Bayville."

Lance was thoroughly shocked, "How the hell did you pull that one off?" he exclaimed.

Raven walked to her car and opened the door, "I ran unopposed," she smirked, "My opponents suddenly found a very serious need to leave town," she got into the car and drove off down the street.

Todd hopped to his side, "What do you think she did yo?"

Lance shook his head; "I think it's best if we never find out."

Regan looked at Lance like he was St. John, "How can you losers be so oblivious to the world that you didn't know she was running for Mayor?"

Lance shrugged, "Hey we may be losers but we're very busy."

-A few hours later at the edge of the estate-

Anna walked over the small hill, and stopped as she saw Pietro at the edge of the cliff. She wasn't worried about him jumping this time; he had already proven his point earlier. She admired the way the light from the setting sun made his hair shine with a brilliant sheen.

He turned around just in time to catch her gaze, "I'm glad you came to see me."

Anna quickly closed the gap between them and embraced him, "Well ah'm everythin' ya want, and everythin' ya need," she shuddered slightly, "No matter what happens we always end up together again."

Pietro nodded, "I have to tell you something," before she could ask what, he pressed his lips against hers.

She was left in a slight daze, even after he pulled back. Realization soon hit here, "Ya… ya touched me, and ya didn't fall."

"I can run with the wind, I'm Quicksilver again," his eyes began glowing blue so he quickly rested his cheek against hers in an attempt to hide them, "I'm going home," he pulled her closer to his body, "Later…"

**A/N:** Well that was 'Before I'm Dead,' I really hope you enjoyed it. School is going to start soon, so I hope everyone can be patient with the next story, if there is one… Anyways, hope you liked the happy ending. I hope I answered some of your questions, but I'm sure I've also given rise to even more.


End file.
